^^; 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


^^-VNXVSS 


LITERARY  INDUSTRIES 


H  /iDemoir 


BY 

HUBERT   HOWE   BANCROFT 


All  my  life  I  have  followed  few  and  simple  aims,  but  I  have  always 
known  my  own  purpose  clearly,  and  that  is  a  source  of  infinite  strength. 

lyUlutm  Waldorf  Astor. 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN  SQUARE 

1891 


e 


2  ^ - 


Copyright,  1890,  by  Hubert  II.  Bancroft. 


Copyright,  1S91,  by  Hubert  II.  Bancroft. 

All  rights  reserved. 


Elcctrotypcd  by  T.  L.  DE  VINNE  &  CO.,  New  York. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION vii 

Chapter  I. 

THE   FIELD I 

Chapter  II. 

t^     THE  ATMOSPHERE 8 

W  CHAPTER   III. 

cr 

§      SPRINGS  AND   LITTLE    BROOKS 25 

Chapter  IV. 

THE  country   BOY   BECOMES   A  BOOKSELLER 41 

z 

5  Chapter  V. 

5       hail  CALIFORNIA  !    ESTO   PERPETUA  ! 56 

.  Chapter  VI. 

THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H.  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY 73 

^  Chapter  VII. 

*       FROM   BIBLIOPOLIST  TO   BIBLIOPHILE    87 

O 

i«  Chapter  VIII. 

t  Q 

^       the   LIBRARY I08 

Chapter  IX. 

DESPERATE  ATTEMPTS   AT   GREAT   THINGS 12$ 

\  Chapter  X. 

A  LITERARY  WORKSHOP 134 


§34606 


.  IV      .  .  ^     CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chapter  XI. 

MY   FIRST   BOOK 146 

Chapter  XII. 

THE  PERILS  OF  PUBLISHING 168 

Chapter  XIII. 

THE  TWO   GENERALS I92 

Chapter  XIV. 

ITALIAN   STRATEGY 202 

Chapter  XV. 

GOVERNOR  ALVAR ADO 222 

Chapter  XVI. 

CLOSE  OF  THE  CERRUTI-VALLEJO   CAMPAIGN 230 

Chapter  XVII. 

HOME 242 

Chapter  XVIII. 

SAN   FRANCISCO   ARCHIVES 250 

Chapter  XIX. 

HISTORIC  RESEARCHES   IN  THE  SOUTH 259 

Chapter  XX. 

HISTORIC   EXPLORATIONS   NORTHWARD 282 

Chapter  XXI. 

FURTHER   library  DETAIL 308 

Chapter  XXII. 

MV    METHOD   OF  WRITING   HISTORY 330 

Chapter  XXIII. 

FURTHER   INGATHERINGS 349 


CONTENTS.  V 

PACE 

Chapter  XXIV. 

PRELIMINARY   AND   SUPPLEMENTAL  VOLUMES 363 

Chapter  XXV. 

BODY  AND   MIND 373 

Chapter  XXVI. 

EXPEDITIONS  TO   MEXICO , 384 

Chapter  XXVII. 

TOWARD   THE  END 403 

Chapter  XXVIII. 

BURNED   OUT  ! 412 

Chapter  XXIX. 

the   history   company   AND  THE   BANCROFT  COMPANY.    426 


INTRODUCTION 

WHEN  we  contemplate  a  great  work  of  any  kind  we  are 
naturally  led  to  inquire  into  the  origin  of  it.  We  ask 
ourselves  how  it  was  conceived;  how  the  germ-idea  of  it 
was  developed;  how  it  grew  to  its  full  proportions;  and 
above  all,  what  manner  of  man  it  was  to  whom  the  accom- 
plishment of  such  a  work  was  given.  In  this  volume  of 
memoirs  the  genesis,  evolution,  and  completion  of  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  literary  undertakings  of  the  age  are  de- 
scribed, and  in  the  most  interesting  of  forms,  namely,  the  auto- 
biographic. The  life  and  work  of  Hubert  Howe  Bancroft, 
moreover,  afford  a  study  of  one  of  the  rarest  and  most  potent 
of  combinations  —  that  of  the  faculties  which  belong  to  the 
scholar  and  to  the  man  of  action.  For  the  most  part  these 
faculties  are  found  apart.  The  scholar  is  seldom  a  man  of 
action ;  the  man  of  action  is  seldom  a  scholar.  The  devotion 
of  all  available  energies  to  business  has  usually  been  thought 
incompatible  with  the  development  and  pursuit  of  any  high 
intellectual  aim.  The  devotion  of  all  available  energies  to 
intellectual  work  has  as  a  rule  appeared  incompatible  with 
success  in  what  are  called  practical  affairs.  Mr.  Bancroft's 
memoirs  not  only  prove  him  to  be  possessed  of  both  these 
capacities,  but  they  clearly  show  that  this  rare  and  peculiar 
combination  could  alone  have  enabled  him  to  carry  out  his 
life-work  as  he  has  done. 

For  it  will  be  seen  that  to  accomplish  the  historical  enter- 
prise to  which  he  devoted  himself  for  thirty  years,  there  were 
required  not  only  high  literary  qualities,  but  power  of  co-or- 
dination, administration,  and  systematization  as  great  as  would 
be  demanded  for  the  execution  of  some  vast  work  of  improve- 
ment—  some  continental  railway,  or  extensive  scheme  of 
irrigation,  of  reclamation,  or  the  development  of  some  new 


VIU  INTRODUCTION. 

line  of  commerce.  No  mere  scholar  could  have  done  this 
work.  Emerson  has  said  that  "  the  scholar  is  unfurnished 
who  has  only  literary  weapons,"  and  this  would  assuredly 
have  proved  true  in  Mr.  Bancroft's  case  had  he  not  supple- 
mented the  ambition  of  a  man  of  letters  with  the  executive 
capacity  of  a  man  of  affairs.  It  is  therefore  in  the  just  balance 
of  these  distinct  sets  of  faculties  that  we  are  to  seek  the  ex- 
planation of  the  most  remarkable  triumph  of  intellect  and 
industry ;  and  it  is  not  claiming  too  much  to  assert  that  the 
union  of  these  qualifications  in  one  individual  may  be  rightly 
regarded  as  in  an  especial  manner  the  product  of  American 
civilization.  For  there  is  no  other  country  the  conditions  of 
life  in  which  tend  to  encourage  and  to  ripen  the  divine  ten- 
dencies and  capacities  here  concerned.  However  similar 
human  nature  may  be  everywhere,  all  history  shows  that  it  is 
modified  by  its  environments  in  the  most  important  manner. 
Take  away  the  opportunities  for  intellectual  growth  and  for  the 
free  evolution  of  thought,  as  the  Inquisition  took  them  away 
from  Spain,  and  in  a  few  centuries  one  of  the  boldest,  most 
energetic,  and  progressive  of  peoples  will  be  reduced  to  stag- 
nation. Remove  all  barriers  to  free  development,  physical  and 
intellectual,  as  in  the  United  States,  and  there  is  no  combina- 
tion of  energies  and  abilities  Avhich  will  not  become  possible. 
Even  the  fullest  political  and  legal  emancipation  cannot  com- 
pensate for  the  social  pressure,  the  tyrannies  of  caste,  custom, 
and  tradition,  and  the  constraining  influences  of  closely  packed 
population,  which  affect  England,  for  example. 

Youth  in  nationality,  space  in  territory,  the  breadth  of  op- 
portunity belonging  to  rapid,  vigorous  growth,  and  ample 
room  for  expression  —  are  specially  American  advantages; 
and  to  them  must  be  ascribed  phenomena  so  striking  and  un- 
exampled as  are  illustrated  in  the  career  recorded  in  the 
following  pages.  It  might  i)crhaj)S  be  said  that  the  story  of 
the  Ohio  farmer's  son,  so  simply  yet  grajihically  told  here, 
affords  no  indication  of  special  capacity  or  bent.  But  even 
in  the  account  of  that  farmer  boy's  early  days,  there  may  be 
perceived  a  force  of  imagination,  a  blind  yearning  for  high 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

things,  sufficiently  noticeable  to  furnish  grounds  of  expectation. 
The  writer  of  the  memoirs,  himself,  is  indeed  perfectly  candid  in 
his  chronicle.  We  never  find  him  posing  for  effect,  or  reading 
new  meanings  into  old  and  insignificant  incidents,  or  taking 
credit  for  feelings,  impulses,  or  aspirations  in  advance  of  his 
years.  As  described  by  himself,  his  mental  development 
was  easy,  natural,  and  by  no  means  rapid.  It  was  that  of  a 
healthy  nature,  brought  up  under  thoroughly  wholesome  con- 
ditions. But  if  there  is  in  these  early  years  comparatively 
little  to  indicate  special  endowments  or  predilections,  the  evi- 
dence that  these  had  been  latent  is  clear  enough  when  the 
critical  moment  arrives.  In  his  apprenticeship,  as  it  may  well 
be  termed,  Mr.  Bancroft  appears  very  like  other  lads  and 
young  men,  crude,  unformed,  awkward,  yet  withal  showing  a 
certain  resolution  and  will-force  suggestive  of  decided  charac- 
ter at  maturity.  A  little  business  experience  developed  a  httle 
confidence  and  independence.  The  young  book-store  clerk 
felt  an  inclination  to  try  his  own  hand  at  trade,  and  poor  suc- 
cess in  the  beginning  did  not  daunt  him. 

Then  came  the  idea  of  California  —  at  that  time  a  very 
general  one  among  spirited  youths.  But  Avhereas  the  ma- 
jority who  went  to  California  did  so  with  the  sole  purpose  of 
making  money  by  mining,  Hubert  Howe  Bancroft  had  clear 
and  practical  business  views.  Already  one  side  of  his  char- 
acter —  the  commercial  —  was  opening  out.  Once  in  Cali- 
fornia, he  sought  to  utilize  time  and  opportunity.  He  suffered 
some  failures  at  the  outset,  of  which  he  gives  entertaining  ac- 
counts, but  he  never  permitted  himself  to  be  dismayed,  and, 
when  his  invoices  of  books  came,  he  opened  a  store  and  forth- 
with prospered.  Perhaps  it  might  have  been  found  particu- 
larly interesting  had  he  thought  fit  to  dwell  more  upon  this 
period  of  his  hfe.  But  he  has  himself  put  on  record  the  fact 
that  he  **  never  found  any  difficulty  in  making  money,"  and 
the  very  extent  of  his  business  and  financial  capacities  seems 
to  have  been  regarded  by  him  as  scarcely  requiring  notice  or 
consideration.  This,  however,  is  a  most  interesting  point  in 
his  career.    Money-making  is  the  most  seductive,  fascinating, 


X  INTRODUCTION, 

and  absorbing  of  occupations,  and  it  tends  always  to  usurp 
larger  areas  in  the  minds  given  over  to  it.  The  instances  in 
which  able  men  of  business  have,  in  the  full  current  of  pros- 
perity, deliberately  paused  and  resolved  to  devote,  if  neces- 
sary, all  their  remaining  years  to  some  enterprise  from  which, 
in  the  nature  of  things,  little  or  no  money-profit  could  be 
expected,  yet  which  could  demand  great,  constant,  and  pro- 
tracted expenditure, —  are  few  indeed.  Yet  this  is  what  Mr. 
Bancroft  did. 

It  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  his  undertaking  issued  from 
his  mind  complete  and  full  panoplied,  like  IMinerva  from  the 
brain  of  Jove.  Such  enterprises  are  never  thus  suddenly 
conceived.  Nature  does  not  proceed  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
Precisely  how  the  germ-idea  of  his  life-work  was  evolved,  Mr. 
Bancroft  relates  in  these  memoirs.  His  firm  was  prepar- 
ing a  Pacific  coast  almanac,  and  local  statistics  and  facts  were 
demanded  by  the  compiler  of  the  publication.  Mr.  Bancroft 
went  through  his  stock  of  books  and  found  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  works  dealing  with  California  and  the  coast  in 
some  way.  These  he  brought  together  in  one  place,  and  sur- 
veying them  expressed  the  opinion  that  they  made  quite  a 
respectable  showing.  Subsequently,  he  picked  up  several 
more  books  of  the  same  class  in  second-hand  bookstores, 
and  he  found  a  number  of  pamphlets  in  lawyers'  ofiices. 
Slowly  the  idea  began  to  dawn  upon  him  that  the  subject 
was  larger  than  he  had  thought  it.  He  went  east  on  busi- 
ness, and  in  New  York  and  Boston  and  Philadelphia -he 
sought  for  books  on  California  and  the  Pacific  coast.  Thus 
his  collection  grew  until  it  had  something  hke  a  thousand 
volumes ;  and  at  this  point,  he  for  the  moment  thought  his 
labor  finished.  But  by  this  time  he  was  beginning  to  obtain 
definite  views  as  to  the  subject,  and  a  visit  to  Europe  com- 
pletely opened  his  eyes.  When  he  examined  the  vast  stocks 
of  second-hand  books  in  London  and  other  great  cities,  he 
realized  that  hitherto  he  had  been  merely  gleaning,  and  that 
if  he  was  to  accomplish  anything  both  his  scope  and  method 
must  be  altered. 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

Ninety-nine  men  out  of  every  hundred  would  in  all  prob- 
ability have  abandoned  the  afitair  at  precisely  this  stage,  and 
that  Mr.  Bancroft  did  not  do  so  sufficiently  testifies  to  the  ex- 
ceptional character  of  his  mind.  Here  was  a  business  man 
who  had,  so  most  people  would  think,  every  incentive  to  con- 
fine himself  strictly  to  his  affairs.  He  had  built  up  a  large, 
growing,  and  highly  profitable  business,  which  might  well  have 
engrossed  him.  He  had  before  him  a  reasonable  certainty  of 
wealth,  '•  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice,"  as  Dr.  Johnson  has 
put  it.  It  was  now  perfectly  apparent  that  to  secure  anything 
like  all  that  had  been  written  about  California  and  the  Pacific 
coast  he  would  have  to  spend  large  sums,  and  it  was  not 
at  all  clear  that  when  he  had  collected  all  these  books  he 
could  do  with  them  anything  that  would  prove  remunerative. 
But  none  of  these  considerations  affected  his  course.  On  the 
contrary,  step  by  step,  as  the  field  opened  out  before  his  re- 
search, his  ambition  and  his  resolve  expanded  and  mounted. 
Accident  threw  in  his  way  an  unrivaled  collection  of  early 
Mexican  literature.  The  perusal  of  the  catalogue  showed 
him  the  depth  of  the  vistas  that  lay  before  him,  but  the  grow- 
ing importance  and  difficulty  of  the  task  did  not  discourage 
him.  He  bought,  bought  largely,  and  reached  out  in  all 
directions  for  more  material.  His  little  collection  was  now 
swelling  rapidly.  It  continued  to  expand :  it  grew  from  one 
to  five  thousand :  then  to  ten  thousand ;  and  by  that  time  he 
had  made  arrangements  with  European  dealers,  established  i 
agencies,  provided  for  representatives  at  all  the  important 
book  sales,  and  generally  made  such  provision  as  resulted  in 
a  steady  flow  of  books,  setting  in  from  all  parts  of  Europe  and 
discharging  at  San  Francisco.  , 

Long  before  this  Mr.  Bancroft  had  made  up  his  mind  that  i 
his  chief  business  in  life  thenceforth  should  be  the  exploitation  i 
of  this  immense  mass  of  literary,  historic,  archccological,  and  , 
ethnological  material.     Exactly  after  what  plan  he  should 
proceed  was  not  yet  shown  to  him.     The  first  object  to  be 
attained  was  the  completion  of  the  library.     Only  such  an 
enthusiasm  as  now  possessed  him  could  have  carried  him 


XU  INTRODUCTION. 

through  this  preHminary  period,  during  which  his  expendi- 
tures were  continually  increasing  and  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  to  show  for  them  but  a  mass  of  books.  But  Mr. 
Bancroft  persevered,  and  the  day  came  when  he  felt  that  his 
collection  was  relatively  complete :  that  it  was  ready  for  use : 
and  that  he  must  determine  how  it  should  be  used.  The 
memoirs  are  exceedingly  interesting  at  this  stage.  Naturally 
Mr.  Bancroft  consulted  literary  friends  and  sometimes  busi- 
ness ones.  Many  advised  him  to  employ  his  material  in  the 
preparation  of  a  Pacific  coast  encyclopedia.  Doubtless  such 
a  Avork  would  have  been  valuable  and  interesting,  but  had  he 
undertaken  it  the  oppc)rtunity  of  his  life  would  have  been 
ruined,  and  the  world  would  have  lost  the  admirable  and 
monumental  work  so  fittingly  completed  by  this  volume  of 
autobiography.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  while  the 
Bancroft  Library  was  being  so  laboriously  gathered,  its  owner 
was  not  thinking  to  the  purpose  about  its  possible  literary 
use.  As  the  extent  of  the  field  covered  became  clearer  with 
each  addition  to  its  magazine  of  facts,  his  conceptions  crys- 
tallized more  and  more  definitely  into  a  gigantic  scheme  of 
history.  This,  it  was  borne  in  upon  him,  was  the  natural  end 
to  which,  and  to  which  alone,  such  a  library  should  be  put. 
It  was  now  beyond  doubt  that  he  had  brought  together  an 
absolutely  unrivalled  collection  for  such  a  purpose,  and  though 
a  history  of  Mexico,  at  least,  had  been  recently  written,  and 
by  a  historian  of  distinction,  it  could  not  be  disputed  that  the 
data  now  obtained  very  fully  exceeded,  both  in  extent  and 
significance,  what  had  been  available  by  Prescott. 

But  it  is  one  thing  to  determine  that  a  library  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  thousand  volumes,  in  a  dozen  languages,  shall 
be  devoted  to  a  definite  literary  end,  and  it  is  quite  another 
thing  to  make  such  an  end  attainable.  The  very  size  of  the 
library  threatened  at  first  to  smother  the  undertaking.  It  was 
very  soon  realized  by  Mr.  Bancroft  that  it  would  be  mere 
midsummer  madness  for  him  to  attempt  alone  the  work  he 
contemplated.  The  utmost  industry,  steadily  exerted  during 
a  liundrcd  years,  would  not  suffice  to  reduce  into  manageable 


INTRODUCTION.  XllI 

shape  the  contents  of  the  collection  in  his  hands.  The  ne- 
cessity of  bringing  that  material  into  some  kind  of  systematic 
and  easily  available  arrangement,  indeed,  constituted  in  itself 
a  problem  of  the  most  difficult  character.  There  was,  more- 
over, no  tradition  or  precedent  that  could  be  referred  to  for 
guidance.  The  whole  scheme  was  a  new  departure.  Mr. 
Bancroft  was  about  to  attempt  what  had  never  been  attempted 
by  an  individual  before.  With  characteristically  American 
audacity  he  had  determined  to  take  upon  himself  a  work  the 
like  of  which,  if  ever  approached  in  the  past,  had  been  con- 
fined to  some  learned  body  or  some  monastic  order,  carried  on 
at  the  cost  of  some  wealthy  government  and  extended  over 
several  generations  in  time.  That  one  man,  and  he  first  a 
man  of  business  and  but  incidentally  a  rnan  of  letters,  should 
undertake  to  write  the  history  of  the  greater  part  of  the  New 
World,  should  project  a  literary  series  of  thirty-nine  large 
octavo  volumes,  and  should  consider  it  possible  to  carry  out 
this  colossal  enterprise  within  his  own  life-time  may  well  have 
seemed  chimerical  and  even  preposterous  to  the  average  ob- 
server. 

So  probably  it  would  have  proved  had  not  the  projector  in 
this  instance  differed  essentially  from  the  typical  scholar  and 
man  of  letters.  For  at  the  very  threshold  of  the  undertaking 
there  was  a  demand  for  that  power  of  organization,  that  ad- 
ministrative analytic  capacity  which  is  so  much  more  com- 
mon in  active  than  in  contemplative  life.  But  Mr.  Bancroft's 
duality  of  resources  stood  him  in  good  stead.  The  initial 
problem — how  to  use  the  library  —  had  to  be  solved  before 
the  work  could  be  begun ;  and  he  solved  it.  Not  the  least 
brilliant  among  his  feats  is  this  invention  of  the  beautifully 
scientific,  simple,  and  practical  system  of  indexing  which  he 
devised  for  his  own  use,  and  which  may  be  said  to  have  in- 
troduced principles  and  methods  which,  if  intelligently  and 
faithfully  applied,  must  immensely  increase  the  productive 
powers  of  authors  and  the  utilization  of  great  libraries.  By 
this  system  of  indexing — which  is  fully  described  by  Mr. 
Bancroft  in  the  present  volume  —  it  was  made  comparatively 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

easy  to  get  the  required  information  out  of  every  book  in  his 
collection,  and  no  matter  how  that  collection  might  grow,  this 
system  v/ould  adjust  itself  infallibly  to  the  process.  One  ele- 
ment of  uncertainty  and  embarrassment  alone  remained,  but 
experience  only  could  correct  that.  Human  nature  is  always 
a  most  dubious  factor,  and  no  system  which  is  not  absolutely 
'mechanical  and  automatic  can  be  made  independent  of  the 
personal  equation.  This  Mr.  Bancroft  was  forced  to  realize 
by  vexatious  experience.  When  one  of  his  assistants  was  in- 
structed to  extract  certain  specified  information  from  certain 
books,  it  was  only  of  the  veterans  that  definite  results  could 
be  predicted.  The  undisciphned  mind,  however  well  educated 
theoretically,  frequently  found  itself  unable  to  grasp  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  great  plan,  and  much  precious  time  and  money 
was  wasted  before  a  thoroughly  drilled  staff  was  brought 
together. 

No  difficulties,  however,  were  permitted  to  stand  long  in 
the  way,  and  when  the  executive  triumph  of  overcoming  the 
inertia  of  the  library's  mass  had  been  achieved,  and  patient 
work  on  the  lines  so  clearly  laid  down  by  Mr.  Bancroft  had 
accumulated  a  quantity  of  well-arranged  matter  on  such  a 
wide  range  of  subjects  as  rendered  the  beginning  of  the  work 
of  authorship  possible,  the  literary  side  of  this  remarkable  man's 
character  came  to  the  front,  and  vindicated  the  genuineness 
of  that  powerful  bent  which  by  some  might  be  regarded  as 
the  sign  of  a  foreordained  mission,  and  others  would  con- 
sider evidence  of  that  specialization,  concentration,  and  ele- 
vation of  intellectual  energy  which  the  world  has  agreed  to 
call  genius.  The  practical  man,  the  man  of  affairs,  the  enter- 
prising publisher  and  manufacturer  might  strike  out  a  new 
system  of  indexing,  and  bring  it  to  a  working  test  with  suc- 
cess. But  it  did  not  follow  that  such  a  man  would  be  capable 
of  ])utting  his  own  machinery  to  the  literary  uses  for  which  it 
v/as  intended.  It  did  not  indeed  follow  the  theory,  but  the 
fact  soon  appeared  that  the  man  of  action  in  Mr.  Bancroft 
was  no  stronger  than  the  man  of  letters.  They  worked  to- 
gether in  perfect  harmony,  in  short,  each  taking  on  his  proper 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

functions  when  the  occasion  appeared,  and  neither  infringing 
upon  the  other's  domain.  When  the  need  was  for  planning, 
the  man  of  action  planned.  When  the  time  came  for  writing, 
the  man  of  letters  wrote. 

Not  that  the  great  enterprise  proceeded  smoothly  and  in 
strict  conformity  with  prearranged  purposes.  To  have  as- 
serted that  would  almost  have  justified  suspicion  of  charlatan- 
ism. In  this  volume  Mr.  Bancroft  lays  bare  the  genesis  of 
his  work,  and  is  careful  to  set  forth  all  the  hesitation  and  un- 
certainty which  beset  him  at  the  beginning.  There  was  a 
time  when  his  library  almost  stifled  him :  when  the  enormous 
labor  to  be  undergone  in  extracting  the  gold  from  all  this 
crude  ore  seemed  so  hopeless,  so  insuperable,  that  he  was 
tempted  in  specially  despondent  moments  to  abandon  his  hope 
and  ambition.  It  may  be  said  with  truth  that  at  such  mo- 
ments he  did  not  know  himself,  for  his  whole  career  demon- 
strates that  perseverance  is  one  of  his  dominant  characteristics, 
and  that  it  was  not  in  him  to  withdraw  his  hand  from  the 
work  for  which  he  had  already  made  so  many  sacrifices.  When 
the  indexing  system  was  perfected  the  work  of  extraction 
was  begun,  but  it  was  long  before  the  author  could  de- 
termine the  direction  in  which  to  break  ground.  It  appears, 
indeed,  from  his  own  statement,  that  he  wished  to  leave  the 
treatment  of  the  Native  Races  to  a  later  period,  and  that  the 
subject  was  somewhat  uncongenial  to  him.  Its  complexity 
and  extent,  the  mass  of  new  facts  to  be  examined,  classified, 
and  commented  upon,  the  difficulty  of  the  ethnological  prob- 
lems to  be  involved,  and,  perhaps  above  all,  the  lack  of  trust- 
worthy pioneers  and  guides  in  this  comparatively  virgin  field, — 
m.ight  v/ell  have  daunted  a  much  more  experienced  investi- 
gator, and  Avould  surely  have  wrought  confusion  in  a  weaker 
brain.  But  Mr.  Bancroft,  having  once  resolved  upon  the 
course  to  be  followed,  proceeded  to  lay  down  for  himself  cer- 
tain principles  and  rules.  "  In  all  my  work,"  he  writes,  "  I 
was  detennined  to  keep  upon  firm  ground,  to  avoid  meaning- 
less and  even  technical  terms,  to  avoid  theories,  speculations, 
and  superstitions  of  every  kind^  and  to  deal  only  in  facts. 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

This  I  relied  on  more  than  on  any  other  one  thing.  My  work 
could  not  be  wholly  worthless  if  I  gathered  only  facts,  and 
arranged  them  in  some  form  which  should  bring  them  within 
reach  of  those  who  had  not  access  to  my  material,  or  who 
could  not  use  it  if  they  had :  whereas  theories  might  be  over- 
thrown as  worthless."  Upon  these  lines  the  first  five  volumes 
entitled  Native  Races  were  written,  and  because  they  were 
so  written  they  must  ever  constitute  the  most  valuable  and 
absolutely  indispensable  magazine  of  facts. 

In  his  account  of  the  production  of  this  part  of  his  histor- 
ical series  Mr.  Bancroft  introduces  the  reader  to  his  library 
and  his  staff  of  assistants,  shows  the  machinery  of  extraction 
and  compilation  in  operation,  describes  the  entire  process,  and 
furnishes  much  interesting  information  concerning  the  band 
of  more  or  less  faithful  assistants  whose  services  could  alone 
enable  him  to  carry  out,  in  a  single  life-time,  plans  the  ac- 
complishment of  which  upon  the  old  methods  of  authorship 
would  have  required  centuries.  In  the  course  of  these  con- 
fidences one  is  made  to  see  how  many  unexpected  incapacities 
are  likely  to  be  developed  in  an  undertaking  testing  so  severely 
the  fitness  of  all  engaged  upon  it.  Mr.  Bancroft's  staff  had 
to  be  made,  and  the  process  of  making  was  both  tedious  and 
costly.  But  when  all  the  inefficient  aspirants  had  been  elim- 
inated, he  had  under  his  hands  a  band  of  literary  workmen 
perhaps  unmatched  for  effective  ability.  The  Native  Races 
proved  a  stubborn  task,  and  by  the  time  it  was  finished  the 
whole  literary  machinery  was  in  magnificent  working  order. 
Whoever  examines  the  work  carefully  will  see  that  it  is  one 
which  might  in  itself  have  served  for  the  labor  of  a  life-time; 
but  to  Mr.  Bancroft  it  was  merely  the  introduction  to  a  long 
series  of  historical  productions.  What  is  still  more  remarkable, 
it  was  not  the  result  of  undisturbed  leisure  and  closely  con- 
centrated employment.  All  through  his  literary  career  this 
author  has  been  accustomed  to  turn  from  purely  intellectual 
to  executive  affairs.  When  most  closely  engaged  with  his 
literary  enterprises  he  would  detach  himself  long  enough  to 
grasp  the  whole  ramification  of  a  great  and  growing  business, 


INTRODUCTION.  XVU 

to  clear  up  difficult  financial  or  other  problems,  to  straighten 
out  commercial  tangles,  and  to  put  everything  in  the  best  con- 
dition. That  done,  he  would  plunge  again  into  his  books, 
and  think  no  more  about  the  business  until  his  intervention 
and  supervision  were  again  needed. 

At  this  point  he  halted  for  a  while  in  order  that  he  might 
obtain  the  judgment  of  competent  writers  upon  what  he  had 
accomplished;  and  he  determined  to  visit  the  eastern  states 
personally,  and  submit  his  work  to  the  leading  literary  and 
scientific  men,  as  a  test  of  the  value  of  the  whole  undertaking. 
The  chapters  in  which  this  visit  is  described  are  full  of  a  new 
kind  of  attraction.  It  is  impossible  not  to  sympathize  with 
the  sensitive  man  who,  absorbed  in  his  great  scheme,  recounts 
his  experience  with  men  of  letters,  men  of  science,  poets, 
professors,  and  critics  whom  he  visited  at  the  east.  Remem- 
bering what  poor  human  nature  is,  and  how  inevitable  it  is 
that  the  majority  of  men  should  be  wrapped  up  in  their  own 
affairs,  and  consequently  offer  little  more  than  lip-service  to 
even  the  most  deserving  of  their  neighbors, —  it  may  be 
thought  that  the  reception  encountered  by  Mr.  Bancroft  was 
uncommonly  cordial  and  appreciative.  It  is,  however,  evi- 
dent that  at  this  juncture  he  was  in  a  somewhat  abnormal  con- 
dition. His  sensibility  was  unduly  excited  by  overwork,  and 
every  show  of  even  relative  indifference  wounded  him  cruelly. 

There  Avas,  as  he  makes  fully  manifest,  the  best  reason  for 
satisfaction  with  the  effect  which  the  Native  Races  pro- 
duced ;  for  not  only  from  every  part  of  the  United  States  but 
from  every  civilized  country  in  Europe,  expressions  of  delight, 
admiration,  and  approval  soon  began  to  pour  in  upon  the 
author.  In  short,  those  five  initial  volumes  really  made  his 
hterary  reputation,  and  secured  him  a  world-wide  hearing  for 
whatever  else  he  might  pubhsh.  The  two  prime  essentials 
for  belief  in  him  had  now  been  fully  determined.  It  was 
known  that  he  possessed  all  the  available  material :  it  was 
proved  that  he  knew  how  to  use  it  to  the  greatest  advantage. 
Henceforth  it  was  only  necessary  that  he  should  maintain  the 
standard  of  work  he  had  himself  established. 
B 


XVm  INTRODUCTION. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  enumerate  here  the  titles  of  the  histories 
which  steadily  proceeded  from  the  Bancroft  Library  after  this. 
No  interruptions  occurred  in  the  publication,  and  year  after 
year  the  chronicles  were  emitted  until  the  whole  Pacific  coast, 
including  Mexico  and  Central  America,  had  been  dealt  with 
in  a  manner  so  exhaustive  that  no  room  was  left  for  any 
further  exploitations  of  the  subjects  treated  in  these  volumes. 
It  was  inevitable  that  the  first  really  thorough  research  ever 
made  into  the  past  of  these  regions  should  bring  to  light 
many  facts  which  either  threw  doubt  upon  or  entirely  dis- 
proved representations  made  previously  by  less  thoroughly 
equipped  investigators.  In  all  cases  the  fullness  of  Mr. 
Bancroft's  information,  and  the  rigorous  impartiality  of  his 
methods,  resulted  in  the  nearest  approach  possible  in  human 
history  to  definite  settlement.  The  presumption  against  the 
probability  of  more  penetrating  or  comprehensive  research  at 
any  future  time  was  too  strong  to  afibrd  much  encourage- 
ment to  controversy,  and  Mr.  Bancroft's  facts  and  methods 
together  made  him  too  formidable  an  adversary  to  be  lightly 
challenged. 

When  in  writing  the  history  of  American  states  such  as 
California,  Oregon,  Nevada,  Colorado,  Montana,  etc.,  he 
found  himself  approaching  the  present  day,  an  entirely  new 
task  was  forced  upon  him.  A  less  conscientious  author  might 
have  contented  himself  with  collecting  extant  authorities,  but 
that  was  not  enough  for  Mr.  Bancroft.     He  felt  that  in  all 

'  these  cases  it  was  his  duty  to  procure  both  written  and  oral 
evidences  wherever  possible  from  the  still  living  actors  in 

'  every  important  event.  Everywhere  the  American  pioneers 
of  the  Pacific  coast  were  dying  out.  In  a  few  years  they 
.would  all  be  gone,  and  then  many  weighty  questions  must 
remain  unanswered,  or  doubtfully  answered,  unless  the  actual 

^  truth  was  obtained  from  the  lips  or  pens  of  these  state-makers. 
The  project  was  magnificent,  but  it  involved  labor  which  to 

I  any  man  without  his  prior  experience  in  the  collection  and 
handling  of  facts  might  well  have  seemed  colossal.  It  would 
be  necessary  to  employ  a  small  army  of  agents  to  visit  and 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

examine  hundreds  of  people  v.ho  v/ere  scattered  all  over  thej 
Pacific  coast.  Each  one  of  these  agents  must  be  perfectly! 
trustworthy,  more  than  commonly  intelhgent,  and  gifted  with 
tact,  judgment,  and  patience.  For  to  get  the  essential  facts 
from  old  pioneers  is  not  the  easiest  business,  especially  when 
they  are  illiterate  and  liable  to  those  imaginative  eccentrici- 
ties which  have  done  so  much  to  confuse  history,  and  to 
subject  it  to  the  stigma  of  unreliability.  In  a  less  extended 
enter|3rise  the  simplest  method  might  have  been  to  issue  in- 
structions to  the  travelling  agent  to  take  down  everything 
and  send  it  all  to  headquarters  for  sifting  and  arrangement. 
This  plan,  however,  would  have  so  magnified  the  work  to  be 
done  that  even  with  the  admirable  machinery  of  the  Bancroft 
Library  the  time  required  would  have  been  almost  indefinitely 
extended. 

The  system  adopted  by  Mr.  Bancroft  seemed  probably  the 
closest  approximation  to  the  truth  attainable.  When  the  ver- 
sions of  any  affair  given  by  contemporaries  were  hopelessly 
discordant,  he  determined  to  publish  both  accounts  rather 
than  to  attempt  the  impracticable  feat  of  deciding  between 
them.  Of  course  this  expansion  of  the  general  scheme  in- 
creased the  cost  as  well  as  the  labor,  and  necessitated  the 
addition  of  several  volumes  to  the  series.  But,  carried  out  as 
it  has  been,  it  has  enhanced  the  value  of  all  these  histories  be- 
yond computation,  and  has  secured  the  permanent  preserva- 
tion of  a  mass  of  most  important  — it  maybe  said  even  price- 
less —  original  information,  the  collection  of  which  would  by 
the  end  of  this  century  have  become  altogether  impossible, 
and  which,  it  may  be  confidently  asserted,  never  would  or 
could  have  been  gathered  in  any  other  way.  In  the  present 
volume  Mr.  Bancroft  gives  a  lively  and  clear  description, 
which  may  be  accepted  as  typical,  of  the  shifts  and  contri- 
vances which  frequently  had  to  be  employed  to  induce  old 
settlers  and  pioneers  to  relate  what  they  knew.  Indeed,  in 
the  case  of  generals  Alvarado  and  Vallejo,  which  is  here  told 
at  length,  there  is  all  the  excitement  of  a  campaign,  and  the 
display  of  generalship  is  by  no  means  contemptible.     Much 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

of  the  difficulty  encountered  in  disinterring  reminiscences  and 
records  of  past  times  arose  from  the  greed  of  the  persons 
holding  the  information  sought.  Not  infrequently  they  looked 
upon  their  special  knowledge  or  their  documentary  evidence 
as  property  to  be  held  for  the  highest  market,  and  if  Mr. 
Bancroft  had  once  accepted  this  view  he  would  have  needed 
the  revenue  of  the  United  States  to  carry  out  his  plans.  Of 
course,  the  better  class  of  old  settlers  were  willing  and  ready 
to  tell  all  they  knew,  but  there  Avas  one  notable  exception 
even  here. 

It  was  necessary  that  in  writing  the  history  of  California 
the  truth  should  be  told  about  the  two  great  vigilance  com- 
mittee campaigns  of  San  Francisco.  But  the  vigilance  com- 
mittee was  compelled  to  do  many  things  the  strict  legality  of 
which  was  open  to  question.  They  had  moreover  incurred 
the  enmity  of  a  great  many  people  who  had  survived  those 
troubled  times,  and  had  since  become  in  some  cases  Avealthy 
and  influential.  It  was  apprehended,  consequently,  that  any 
disclosure  of  the  inmost  secrets  of  the  old  organization  would 
produce  a  revival  of  enmities  which  had  lapsed  by  the  mere 
passage  of  time,  and  that  possibly  litigation  of  a  vexatious 
and  costly  character  might  ensue.  The  result  of  such  fears 
was  that  when  Mr.  Bancroft  tried  to  get  at  the  truth,  he  was 
met  by  obstinate  refusals  to  make  any  disclosures,  and  that 
for  a  time  it  looked  as  though  he  might  be  compelled  to  slur 
over  this  important  period  in  his  history  of  California.  But 
he  persevered,  despite  the  discouraging  outlook,  and  by  per- 
suasion and  adroit  management  finally  overcame  the  reticence 
of  those  who  knew  all  the  facts,  and  was  then  able  to  present 
a  complete  and  fully  authoritative  record  of  all  the  proceed- 
ings. It  may  be  worth  while  to  add  that  no  little  courage 
was  required  to  put  on  record  the  naked  truths  concerning 
many  things  which  had  to  be  discussed  in  the  historical  series 
dealing  with  those  states  and  territories  whose  early  periods 
had  been  more  or  less  stormy  and  anarchic.  In  all  these 
young  and  unformed  settlements  there  had  been  much  of  a 
character  to  cause  humiliation  to  those  concerned  in  looking 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

back  upon  the  past.  Bold  crime,  factional  plots  scarcely 
bearing  the  color  of  legality,  rapacious  seizures  of  land,  cruel 
and  cowardly  raids  upon  the  weak  elements  of  the  commu- 
nity extend  into  the  common  annals,  and  these  things  were 
too  recent  for  it  to  be  possible  to  revive  the  memory  of  them 
without  striking  severe  blows  at  many  persons. 

In  Europe,  when  a  public  personage  who  has  moved  con- 
spicuously in  diplomacy  or  statecraft  dies,  leaving  memoirs 
behind  him,  it  has  been  customary  for  his  executors  to  post- 
pone the  publication  of  such  matter  as  may  incriminate  the 
living.  Not  until  a  generation  has  passed  away  are  such 
memoirs  usually  permitted  to  see  the  light,  and  occasionally, 
as  in  the  case  of  Talleyrand,  the  delay  has  been  still  longer. 
While  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  such  an  arrangement  is 
convenient  for  people  who  have  uneasy  consciences  and  vul- 
nerable records,  it  is  evident  that  it  is  diametrically  opposed 
to  the  interests  of  history,  and  that  its  most  obvious  conse- 
quence is  to  remove  all  those  opportunities  for  correction  and 
verification  wliich  the  submission  to  contemporaries  of  his- 
torical reminiscences  most  certainly  affords.  Timid  historians 
naturally  refrain  from  protesting  against  a  custom  which  re- 
lieves them  of  many  apprehensions;  but  the  general  result  is 
the  incorporation  of  serious  misrepresentations  into  the  his- 
tory of  the  period.  Now  Mr.  Bancroft  could  not  afford  to 
wait  twenty  or  thirty  years  before  publishing  his  histories  of 
the  newer  states,  and  he  would  not  soften  the  truth  lest  it 
should  offend  those  who  were  exposed  or  discredited  by  it. 
The  principle  which  he  adopted  as  his  guide  and  as  the  sol- 
vent of  difficulties,  when  preparing  to  write  the  Native  Races, 
was  indeed  the  principle  upon  which  his  whole  career  had 
been  directed.  To  cleave  to  the  facts,  to  tell  the  truth  as 
the  facts  revealed  it,  without  regard  to  consequences,  was  his 
simple  but  sufficient  resolve,  and  well  and  nobly  has  he  held 
to  this  rule  of  action. 

There  have  been  times  when  his  inherent  sympathy  for  the 
oppressed  and  wronged,  his  inherent  resentment  of  all  tyraimy 
and  bullying  and  fraud  and  wrong,  have  led  him  to  the  expres- 


XXU  INTRODUCTION. 

.  sion  of  opinions  in  stronger  terms  than  can  be  reconciled  with 
philosophic  calm  and  dispassionateness.  But  those  who  most 
disapprove  of  the  infusion  of  such  heat  into  historical  writing 
must  admit,  if  they  are  candid,  that  Mr.  Bancroft  never  loses 
his  temper  in  endeavoring  to  make  the  worse  appear  the 
better  cause.  On  the  contrary,  in  every  instance  of  this  ve- 
hemence in  his  works,  it  will  be  found  that  his  indignation 
is  excited  by,  and  follows,  the  complete  establishment  of  a 
formidable  case  of  wrong-doing  against  the  persons  or  the 
community  he  condemns.  The  distinction  is  important :  it 
might  be  said  that  it  is  vital.  It  is  the  distinction  between 
the  functions  of  the  advocate  and  those  of  the  judge :  yet  it 
is  a  distinction  which,  in  politics,  is  almost  invariably  lost  sight 
of,  and  which  is  confused,  to  the  lasting  injury  of  their  work, 
by  too  many  otherwise  capable  historians.  It  is  always  much 
easier  to  question  Mr.  Bancroft's  literary  tact  than  the  lucidity 
and  honesty  of  his  judgments :  and  not  seldom  these  arc  the 
most  honorable  to  him,  and  the  least  open  to  serious  contra- 
vention, when  they  defy  in  the  boldest  manner  the  current 
conventionalities  which  are  at  bottom  only  base  and  craven 
compromises  with  unpalatable  because  discreditable  truths. 

A  common  man  would  have  thought  himself  amply  justified 
in  glossing  over  the  awkward  places  in  state  history,  in  palli- 
ating past  iniquities,  in  suppressing  damaging  facts  not  allow- 
ing investigation, — in  short,  in  "  making  things  pleasant"  for 
everybody.  Not  so  Mr.  Bancroft.  His  view  of  the  historian's 
duty  and  responsibility  was  embarrassingly  high :  embarrass- 
ingly, that  is,  for  those  who  had  causes  for  desiring  conceal- 
ment, repression,  or  silence  in  regard  to  their  past.  It  was 
for  him  to  state  the  facts  as  they  occurred,  after  he  had  taken 
every  means  possible  to  verify  his  information.  This  course 
he  pursued  with  undeviating  consistency ;  and  the  time  will 
come,  if  it  is  not  already  here,  when  this  quality  of  his  his- 
torical works  —  this  devotion  to  truth  and  justice  —  will  be 
prized  as  one  of  the  most  precious  characteristics  of  his  writ- 
ings. It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  American  history  has 
been  written  by  no  other  author  after  this  manner.  The  plea 


INTRODUCTION.  XXUl 

of  patriotism  has  been  employed  to  justify  the  misrepresenta- 
tion of  facts  far  too  frequently,  and  when  that  has  not  been  the 
case  partisan  bias  has  been  suftered  to  intrude  and  give  the 
color  to  everything.  Mr.  Bancroft,  however,  allows  nothing 
to  divert  or  deflect  him  from  his  purpose,  which  is  the  ascer- 
tainment and  presentation  of  the  truth.  In  regard  to  style, 
grace,  and  fluency  of  expression,  and  literary  effectiveness  of 
statement,  fault  may  sometimes  be  found  with  him.  In  all 
the  qualities  of  the  honorable,  self-respecting,  courageous,  and 
judicial  historian,  he  is  without  a  superior :  and  nowhere  has 
he  shown  these  sterling  qualities  so  clearly  as  in  his  treatment 
of  the  early  periods  of  the  younger  states. 

Many  readers  will  no  doubt  find  particular  pleasure  in  the 
parts  of  this  book  which  describe  Mr.  Bancroft's  literary  ar- 
rangements and  the  methods  of  his  work.  It  was  only  in 
iSSo  that  his  invaluable  library  was  placed  beyond  the  reach 
of  fire.  Up  to  that  time  it  occupied  the  top  floor  of  the  Ban- 
croft building  on  Market  street,  and  while  there  it  sustained 
one  fearful  peril,  the  store  below  being  on  fire.  With  the 
transfer  of  the  books  to  the  fire-proof  library  building  on 
Valencia  street,  a  new  epoch  may  be  said  to  have  opened  in 
the  great  enterprise,  and  thenceforward  the  various  sections 
of  the  history  of  the  Pacific  coast  continued  to  be  issued 
steadily,  and  at  a  rate  which  betokened  the  industry  and 
energy  engaged.  Of  course  this  comparative  rapidity  of 
publication  could  only  have  been  maintained  by  the  co- 
operative system  which  Mr.  Bancroft  devised  and  so  success- 
fully operated :  but  some  critics  have  made  it  a  reproach  to 
him  that  he  did  not  prepare  every  line  himself,  while  others 
have  insinuated  that  his  personal  relation  to  the  Avork  was 
that  of  the  editor  of  a  great  modern  newspaper,  who  as  a 
rule  writes  nothing  himself  for  publication,  but  only  directs 
and  controls  the  actual  literary  producers.  The  frank  and 
full  statements  of  these  memoirs  sufliiciently  meet  and  refute 
such  representations.  The  truth  is  that  Mr.  Bancroft  has 
always  been  the  most  persevering  and  indefatigable  of  writers, 
and  a  few  sentences  from  his  own  narrative  will  demonstrate 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

this  conclusively.  Describing  his  personal  habits  he  says: 
"  For  years  it  was  my  custom  to  rise  at  seven,  breakfast  at  half- 
past  seven,  and  write  from  eight  until  one,  when  I  lunched  or 
dined.  The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  recreation  and  exercise. 
Usually  I  would  get  in  one  hour's  writing  before  six  o'clock 
tea  or  dinner,  as  the  case  might  be,  and  four  hours  after- 
wards, making  ten  hours  in  all  for  the  day  ;  but  interruptions 
were  so  constant  and  frequent,  that  including  the  many  long 
seasons  during  which  I  hermited  myself  in  the  country,  where 
I  often  devoted  twelve  and  fourteen  hours  a  day  to  writing, 
I  do  not  think  I  averaged  more  than  eight  hours  a  day,  taking 
twenty  years  together."  This  passage  is  especially  interest- 
ing because  it  shows  that  Mr.  Bancroft's  power  of  persistence 
was  very  far  beyond  that  of  the  generality  of  writers.  An 
average  of  eight  hours  a  day  for  twenty  years  in  writing  his- 
tory is  an  almost  unparalleled  amount  of  work  to  do.  To 
write  ten  hours  a  day  for  several  consecutive  days  would 
break  down  nine-tenths  of  the  most  fluent  authors;  and 
twelve  to  fourteen  hours  a  day  would  kill  the  majority,  sup- 
posing them  capable  of  accomplishing  such  a  task.  Only  an 
iron  will  working  in  an  iron  frame  could  have  kept  up  this 
extraordinary  strain  and  made  it  a  life -habit.  But  to  pro- 
duce the  long  series  of  histories  which  were  issuing  from  the 
press  during  these  years,  ceaseless  activity  was  needed,  and 
here  again  Mr.  Bancroft  rose  to  the  occasion  with  the  prompt- 
ness and  determination  which  have  marked  all  his  movements 
since  he  reached  maturity. 

When  his  hand  grew  stiff  from  holding  the  pen,  and  his 
brain  began  to  feel  tired,  he  had  his  own  methods  of  relief 
and  rest.  At  such  times  he  would  drop  the  history  for  a  few 
days  and  take  up  the  superintendence  of  the  great  business 
of  his  house.  This,  which  might  have  been  more  than  enough 
for  most  people,  seems  to  have  refreshed  our  author,  and  to 
have  enabled  him  to  return  with  renewed  power  and  energies 
to  his  ten  hours  a  day  of  desk-work.  The  most  remarkable 
fact,  however,  is  that  in  these  strange  transitions  from  literature 
to  commerce   he  really  appears  to  have  been  able  to  call 


1 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

upon  an  unused  and  fresh  set  of  capacities :  for  his  changes 
were  almost  invariably  advantageous  to  the  business,  to  wb.icli 
he  brought  new  ideas,  clear  insight,  and  such  a  fertility  of  re- 
source as — reasoning  upon  conventional  principle — no  one 
would  expect  to  find  behind  the  brow  of  a  man  who  for 
months  had  been  doing  double  work  in  an  entirely  different 
direction.  It  is  axiomatic  that  energy  is  a  fixed  quantity,  and 
that  whatever  proportion  may  be  expended  on  one  object  is 
lost  to  other  objects.  But  as  if  in  defiance  of  natural  law, 
the  story  of  Mr.  Bancroft  seems  to  present  an  instance  of  a 
dual  endowment  of  energy,  so  arranged  that  both  engines — 
so  to  speak  —  could  be  worked  to  their  highest  power  in  dif- 
ferent duties.  He  himself  recognizes  the  use  his  business 
training  and  capacity  have  been  to  him  in  his  literary  arrange- 
ments, and  also  in  arriving  at  the  principles  upon  which  he 
should  base  his  histories.  As  regards  the  latter,  however, 
there  seems  to  be  a  slight  confusion  in  his  mind :  for  the  prin- 
ciples to  which  he  refers  are  to  be  traced,  not  to  any  mechan- 
ical business  training,  but  to  his  inherent  nature  and  character, 
which  alone  could  determine  the  use  he  should  make  of  busi- 
ness rules  and  practices.  The  way  in  which  a  man  does  busi- 
ness affords  insight  to  the  man's  character :  only  in  a  second- 
ary manner  to  the  nature  of  his  training.  In  this  instance  we 
find  the  character  influencing  and  giving  color  and  shape  to 
both  business  and  literature :  the  innate  capacities  manifesting 
themselves  in  each  direction  with  an  equality  of  force  which 
is,  as  has  been  remarked,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  traits 
in  his  career.  This  combination  indeed  is  so  rare  that  it  is 
difficult  to  recall  a  similar  example  outside  of  fiction.  In  one 
of  Charles  Reade's  novels  he  has  a  very  powerful  creation,  a 
man  of  tremendous  will  and  resource,  who,  having  resolved 
to  go  to  Austraha  in  pursuit  of  his  plans,  in  a  few  hours  ma- 
tures and  carries  out  a  crafty  speculation  by  which  he  obtains 
the  funds  needed  for  his  projected  journey.  In  much  the  same 
way  we  see  Mr.  Bancroft  rushing  from  history  to  business  in 
order  to  secure  the  funds  necessary  for  carrying  on  his  literary 
enterprise ;  and  in  every  case  his  efforts  are  crowned  with  the 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION. 

same  success.  Once,  as  he  relates,  the  business  prospect  was 
very  depressing.  Everything  in  the  near  future  had  been  dis- 
counted. The  completion  of  new  lines  of  communication 
had  revolutionized  business.  A  general  sense  of  insecurity 
and  mistrust  prevailed,  and  a  widespread  disaster  seemed  to 
be  possible.  At  such  a  juncture  Mr.  Bancroft  was  called 
to  the  helm  again,  and  succeeded  in  steering  his  house  safely 
through  the  storm :  not  without  anxiety,  but  apparently  with- 
out great  effort,  for  the  gift  of  administration  was  strong  within 
him. 

It  is  clear  that  he  must  possess  also  a  rare  power  of  detach- 
ment and  concentration,  for  it  will  be  seen  by  the  reader  of 
this  volume  that  he  was  able  even  in  the  most  disturbing  cir- 
cumstances to  proceed  with  Hterary  work,  and  that  the  direct 
menace  of  absolute  and  final  ruin  could  not  overcome  him 
more  than  for  the  moment.  He  declares  that  nothing  has 
been  able  to  hinder  him  from  pursuing  his  life-work  for  a  sin- 
gle day  since  he  first  devoted  himself  to  it,  and  this  too  is  a 
striking  indication  of  character,  pointing  once  more  to  the  cu- 
rious completeness  of  that  dualism  to  which  reference  has  been 
made  above,  and  intimating  the  reality  of  a  double  life  on  an 
entirely  different  arrangement  from  anything  known  to  ex- 
perts in  hypnotism  and  alienism,  or  to  the  imagination  of 
Mr.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

Those  who  hope  to  derive  from  Mr.  Bancroft's  literary 
experience  practical  guides  for  the  formation  of  habits  will, 
it  is  to  be  feared,  find  very  uncertain  indications  here.  For 
he  appears  to  have  followed  no  system ;  and  though  he  says 
that  he  believes  in  rules  for  writing,  there  is  little  to  show  that 
he  allowed  himself  to  be  controlled  by  anything  of  the  kind. 
To  use  his  own  words :  "  There  is  no  end  to  the  rules  and 
regulations  I  have  made  to  govern  my  writing.  I  believe  in 
them.  Yet  as  it  is  impossible  for  man  to  make  laws  more 
powerful  than  himself,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  break  my  rules 
whenever  occasion  seems  to  demand  it."  Few  men  could 
imitate  his  bursts  of  speed  at  times.  For  instance,  he  tells 
how  on  one  occasion,  finding  the  constant  interruptions  at 


INTRODUCTION.  ,         XXVll 

tlie  libraiy  becoming  intolerable,  he  rushed  off  into  the  coun- 
try, and  there,  for  six  weeks,  he  worked  twelve  hours  a  day. 
accomplishing  more  than  in  any  other  six  weeks  of  his  life. 
With  delightful  unconsciousness  that  there  was  anything  un- 
usual in  this  performance,  he  remarks  :  "  This,  however,  was 
more  of  a  strain  than  my  system  could  bear  for  any  length  of 
time.  I  did  not  break  down  under  it :  I  only  shifted  my  po- 
sition. The  mind  fatigued  with  one  class  of  work  often  finds 
almost  as  much  rest  in  change  as  in  repose."  Clearly  his 
mind  did,  but  it  is  not  commonly  found  that  after  such  a 
tremendous  excess  of  work  as  he  reports  so  lightly,  there  is 
enough  energy  left  to  turn  with  profit  from  one  employment 
to  another.  That  he  could  do  this,  and  that  he  really  expe- 
rienced the  relief  he  sought  in  doing  it,  proves  the  excep- 
tional nature  of  his  physical  and  mentrd  qualities. 

For  such  a  labor  as  he  had  undertaken  these  exceptional 
qualifications  fitted  and  fortified  him.  In  default  of  such 
support  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether  even  the  admirable 
system  by  which  the  work  was  so  facilitated  and  quickened 
could  have  sufficed  to  secure  the  accomplishment  of  the  task. 
It  was  truly  a  labor  of  love,  and  that  stood  for  much,  but 
merely  average  robustness  and  vigor  would  hardly  have  borne 
the  continuous  strain  and  pressure.  When  the  greater  part 
of  the  history  was  written,  Mr.  Bancroft  refreshed  himself  by 
various  journeys  in  search  of  fresh  materials,  the  most  inter- 
esting having  been  an  expedition  to  Mexico.  There,  and  in 
several  of  the  new  states,  he  had  experiences  which  he  has 
narrated  with  animation,  and  on  returning  home  he  threw 
himself  into  the  work  of  writing  again  with  renewed  spirit 
and  industr}\  He  was  away  from  home,  at  San  Diego,  where 
he  had  bought  an  estate  and  was  building,  when  a  hurried 
dispatch  informed  him  that  his  store  in  San  Francisco  —  the 
great  Bancroft  building  —  was  burning,  and  that  there  was 
little  hope  of  saving  anything.  The  news  was  stunning.  This 
disaster  occurred  —  as  disasters  so  often  do — under  condi- 
tions which  enhanced  its  effect.  It  happened  that  the  firm 
had  recently  laid  in  a  heavier  stock  than  ever  before  of  all 


XXVm  INTRODUCTION. 

the  material  in  which  it  dealt,  either  by  sale  or  by  manufac- 
ture. The  liabilities  were  at  their  maximum,  therefore,  and 
the  crippling  effect  of  the  fire  was  much  gi-eater  than  it  would 
have  been  earlier  or  later.  The  account  given  by  Mr.  Ban- 
croft of  this  heavy  blow  is  moving.  It  is  clear  that  it  was  the 
most  staggering  shock  to  his  whole  life-work.  Fortunately 
the  library  was  saved,  but  all  the  printed  books,  all  the  stereo- 
type plates,  all  the  printing  material  had  been  destroyed,  and 
it  was  quite  possible  that  when  an  exact  estimate  had  been 
made  of  the  status  of  the  house,  it  would  appear  that  no 
means  remained  either  for  the  resumption  of  the  business  or 
the  carrying  on  of  the  history. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  for  several  days  Mr.  Bancroft  felt  in- 
capable of  doing  anything,  or  that  he  could  not  bring  him- 
self to  visit  the  ruins  of  the  burned  building.  But  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  remain  crushed  and  despondent.  After 
a  little  breathing-time  he  as  ever  rose  to  the  occasion,  assumed 
the  direction  of  everything,  took  measures  to  ascertain  his 
financial  condition,  and  prepared  to  avail  himself  of  every 
means  of  extrication  and  recovery.  After  nearly  thirty  years 
of  unexampled  toil ;  after  having — according  to  the  common 
measurements  of  human  endurance — expended  the  best  years 
of  his  life  and  the  reserve  power  of  his  constitution  upon 
the  history,  he  found  himself  threatened  with  complete  ruin, 
yet  he  continued  to  plan  and  calculate  coolly  and  with  judg- 
ment, and  to  hope  obstinately.  It  was  a  time  to  try  the  soul, 
not  only  of  the  chief  sufferer,  but  of  his  creditors  and  business 
rivals  and  connections.  Evidently  some  of  the  experiences 
encountered  left  bitter  recollections,  though  Mr.  Bancroft  has 
not  enlarged  upon  these  disappointments.  Happily  the  oc- 
casion also  called  forth  many  generous  and  noble  movements, 
and  served  to  convince  him  that  he  had  many  real  friends 
and  sympathizers.  Presently,  too,  he  knew  exactly  how  he 
stood,  and  then  it  became  evident  that  the  house  was  still 
solvent,  and  that,  however  heavy  the  loss,  it  was  possible  to 
write  it  off  and  take  a  fresh  start.  For  a  time  he  seems  to 
have  hesitated,  and  to  have  had  thoughts  of  winding  up  the 
business.     But  serious  considerations  (and  probably  in  chief 


INTRODUCTION.  XXIX 

his  commercial  interest)  determined  him  not  only  to  resume 
business  but  to  build  again ;  and  though  this  decision  involved 
a  great  deal  of  very  hard  work,  and  the  resumption  of  burdens 
from  which  he  had  hoped  to  be  finally  relieved,  nothing  was 
allowed  to  obstruct  the  programme,  which  was  carried  out  to 
the  end,  and  with  satisfactory  results. 

Little  has  been  said  in  this  Introduction  of  the  domestic 
side  of  Mr.  Bancroft's  life,  though  he  has  not  vvithheld  infor- 
mation concerning  it.  The  reader,  however,  will  there  judge 
best  unaided.  No  little  light  is  incidentally  thrown  upon  the 
historian's  temperament  and  character  by  his  home  annals, 
restricted  though  they  may  be.  It  is  evident,  for  example, 
that  he  has  always  been  a  lover  of  that  foundation  and  fos- 
terer of  all  wholesome  civilization  and  progress,  the  family 
life;  and  that  he  has  felt  the  need  and  the  comfort  of  this 
form  of  social  existence.  Not  less  evident  is  it  that  his  rela- 
tions have  been  happy  and  strengthening,  and  that  he  has 
appreciated  the  benefits  derived  from  them.  Literature  is  a 
jealous  mistress,  and  those  who  follow  her  do  not  always  find 
it  possible  to  maintain  other  attachments.  It  is  not  for  noth- 
ing that  tradition  brands  men  of  letters  as  notoriously  unfit 
for  marriage.  The  genus  irritabilc  natum  includes  more  than 
poets ;  and  women  whose  amiability  could  not  be  contested 
have  found  it  impossible  to  live  with  authors  who  in  their 
books  appeared  full  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness.  Perhaps 
there  are  fewer  failures  of  this  kind  at  present  because  the 
old-fashioned  man  of  letters  has  in  a  manner  ceased  to  exist. 
Mr.  Bancroft,  however,  comes  nearer  to  the  ancient  type  of 
literati,  in  the  fervor  and  completeness  of  his  devotion,  and 
in  the  scope  and  continuity  of  his  labors,  than  perhaps  any 
of  his  contemporaries.  That  under  the  circumstances  he 
should  have  been  able  to  lead  a  life  of  repose  and  harmony 
in  his  home  may  consequently  be  very  well  considered  as 
another  proof  of  the  exceptional  nature  of  the  man,  and 
especially  of  that  dualism  of  character  which  has  enabled 
him  to  separate  so  absolutely  the  different  and  incompatible 
roles  he  has  been  required  to  play. 

The  memoirs  themselves  will  furnish  whatever  other  infer- 


XXX  INTRODUCTION. 

mation  may  be  needed  for  the  building  up  of  a  tolerably- 
complete  picture  of  the  historian  of  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
will,  it  may  be  predicted  with  confidence,  lead  unprejudiced 
and  clear-minded  readers  to  the  conclusion  that  they  have 
been  the  materials  for  forming  a  correct  estimate  of  a  human 
soul  deserving  particular  study.  An  effort  has  been  made  in 
these  preliminary  pages  to  point  out  what  seem  to  be  the 
most  significant  features  in  the  character  and  career  of  an  au- 
thor whose  qualities  are  in  several  respects  distinctly  typical, 
and  products  of  conditions  which,  as  they  do  not  exist  else- 
where, or  do  not  exist  elsewhere  in  the  same  combinations, 
may  justly  be  called  American.  It  would  be  improper,  how- 
ever, to  ascribe  everything  in  this  or  any  other  case  to  environ- 
ment alone.  Heredity  no  doubt  plays  an  important  part  in 
the  formation  of  character,  and  Mr.  Bancroft's  memoirs  suffi- 
ciently indicate  from  which  of  his  ancestors  he  derived  at 
least  some  of  his  dominant  characteristics.  Yet  neither  en- 
vironment nor  heredity,  nor  both  together,  will  account  for 
the  whole  man.  There  remains  to  be  estimated  the  individu- 
ality, which  reacts  upon  the  older  internal  and  newer  external 
influences ;  and  whicli  controls  the  combinations  composing 
the  entity  as  it  finally  appears.  The  origin  of  this  factor  can- 
not be  traced ;  and  though  we  try  to  account  for  every  faculty 
and  disposition  by  postulating  unknown  and  hypothetical  re- 
mote ancestors,  when  no  other  explanation  offers  for  puzzling 
and  apparently  original  characteristics,  no  approximation  to 
demonstration  can  be  thus  obtained,  and  the  difficulty  is  merely 
shifted,  not  removed. 

In  the  case  before  us  the  actual  facts  are  fortunately  not 
beyond  easy  perception.  The  French  proverb,  "  Bon  chien 
chasse  de  race,"  applies.  Blood  will  tell,  in  other  words. 
Mr.  Bancroft  descends  from  a  clean,  sound,  religious  ancestry : 
a  race  of  sturdy,  conscientious,  healthy,  and  industrious  men 
and  women.  His  own  constitution  was  built  up  by  living  much 
in  the  open  air  during  his  youth.  To  this  he  probably  owes 
that  intolerance  of  wrong  and  oppression  and  chicanery  and  all 
mean  and  base  causes,  which  marks  his  writings  so  strongly. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXI 

Somewhat  of  this  spirit  too  he  may  have  breathed  in,  for 
it  was  in  the  air  of  his  country.  But  in  that  which  most 
sharply  distinguishes  him  from  the  majority  of  men,  is  that 
rarest  of  combinations  —  a  high  capacity  for  money -making 
with  a  devotion  to  a  cause  higher  and  better  than  money-mak- 
ing—  it  may  properly  be  contended  that  the  individual  is 
manifest.  Certainly  this  kind  of  character  does  not  appear  in 
the  forebears  of  whom  he  gives  portraits  in  this  volume ;  and  it 
need  not  be  further  insisted  upon  that  such  a  union  of  op- 
posed quahties  has  always  been  so  uncommon  as  to  attract 
instant  attention  whenever  and  wherever  it  appears.  This, 
then  is  to  be  regarded  as  intrinsically  Mr.  Bancroft's  own  char- 
acter, and  assuredly  it  is  a  very  interesting  one,  and  of  a  kind 
to  repay  examination.  That  precisely  such  a  rare  and  infre- 
quent combination  should  apparently  have  been  necessary  to 
the  carrying  out  of  the  great  literary  work  to  which  he  has 
devoted  himself  is  worth  considering  also,  and  it  is  tolerably 
clear  that  tliis  is  really  the  case.  A  man-  less  gifted  with  finan- 
cial capacity  could  not  possibly  have  collected  the  noble 
library  which  formed  the  basis  of  the  enterprise,  nor  could 
he,  even  if  he  had  possessed  the  library,  have  so  utilized  it. 
A  man  with  a  more  decided  bent  toward  money-making  could 
not  have  been  induced  to  give  up  material  ambitions  to  liter- 
ature, but  would  have  been  content  with  the  vulgar  goal  of 
wealth.  Strength,  skill,,  perseverance,  and  judgment  have 
been  joined  to  constitute  the  preeminent  fitness  which  is 
proved  beyond  controversy  by  the  completion  of  that  historj'- 
of  the  Pacific  States  which  is  one  of  the  noblest  literary  mon- 
uments not  only  of  the  countrj^  but  of  the  century. 

George  Frederick  Parsons. 


LITERARY  INDUSTRIES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    FIELD. 


Which  gives  me 
A  more  content  in  course  of  true  delight 
Than  to  be  thirsty  after  tottering  honor, 
Or  tie  my  pleasure  up  in  silken  bags, 
To  please  the  fool  and  death. 

— Pericles. 


THIS  volume  closes  the  narrative  portion  of  my  historical 
series ;  there  yet  remains  to  be  completed  the  biographi- 
cal section. 

It  is  now  over  thirty  years  since  I  entered  upon  the  task 
to-day  accomplished.  During  this  period  my  efiforts  have 
been  continuous.  Sickness  and  death  have  made  their  pres- 
ence felt;  financial  storms  have  swept  over  the  land,  leaving 
ghastly  scars;  calamities  more  or  less  severe  have  at  various 
times  called  at  my  door ;  yet  have  I  never  been  wholly  over- 
whelmed, or  reached  a  point  where  was  forced  upon  me  a 
cessation  of  library  labors,  even  for  a  single  day.  Nor  has 
my  work  been  irksome ;  never  have  I  lost  interest  or  enthu- 
siasm ;  never  have  I  regretted  the  consecration  of  my  life  to 
this  cause,  or  felt  that  my  time  might  have  been  better  em- 
ployed in  some  of  the  enterprises  attending  the  material  de- 
velopment of  this  western  world,  or  in  accumulating  property, 
which  was  never  a  difficult  thing  for  me  to  do.     It  has  been 


2,     ,  ,      ,    ,  ,     .  LTTERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

froW  first  to  last  a  labor  of  love,  its  importance  ever  standing 
before  me  paramount  to  that  of  any  other  undertaking  in 
which  I  could  engage,  while  of  this  world's  goods  I  have  felt 
that  I  had  always  my  share,  and  have  been  ready  to  thank 
God  for  the  means  necessary  to  carry  forward  my  work  to 
its  full  completion.  And  while  keenly  alive  to  my  lack  of 
ability  to  perform  the  task  as  it  ought  to  be  done,  I  have  all 
the  time  been  conscious  that  it  were  a  thousand  times  better 
it  should  be  done  as  I  could  do  it  than  not  at  all. 

What  was  this  task  ?  It  was  first  of  all  to  save  to  the  world 
a  mass  of  valuable  human  experiences,  which  otherwise,  in 
the  hurry  and  scramble  attending  the  securing  of  wealth, 
power,  or  place  in  this  new  field  of  enterprise,  would  have 
dropped  out  of  memory.  These  experiences  were  all  the 
more  valuable  from  the  fact  that  they  were  new ;  the  con- 
ditions attending  their  origin  and  evolution  never  had  before 
existed  in  the  history  of  mankind,  and  never  could  occur 
again.  There  was  here  a  display  of  what  man  can  do  at  his 
best,  with  all  the  powers  of  the  past  united,  and  surrounded 
by  conditions  such  as  had  never  before  fallen  to  his  lot. 

Secondly,  having  secured  a  vast  amount  of  valuable 
material  which  would  otherwise  have  passed  into  oblivion, 
my  next  task  was  to  extract  from  it  what  would  be  most 
interesting  in  history  and  biography,  properly  to  classify  and 
arrange  it,  and  then  to  fashion  it  as  a  historical  series,  in  the 
form  of  clear  and  condensed  narrative,  and  so  place  within 
reach  of  all  this  gathered  knowledge,  which  were  else  of  as 
little  avail  to  the  outside  world  as  if  it  had  never  been  saved. 
Meanwhile  the  work  of  collecting  continued,  while  I  erected 
for  the  safer  preservation  of  the  library  a  fire-proof  brick 
building  on  Valencia  street,  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco. 
Finally,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  add  a  biographical  sec- 
tion to  the  history  proper,  in  order  that  the  builders  of  the 
commonwealths  on  this  coast  might  have  as  full  and  fair 
treatment  as  the  work  of  their  hands  deserved. 

Not  that  the  plan  in  all  its  completeness  arose  in  my  mind 
as  a  whole  in  the  first  instance.     Had  it  so  presented  itself, 


THE    FIELD.  3 

and  with  no  alternative,  I  should  never  have  had  the  courage  to 
undertake  it.  It  was  because  I  was  led  on  by  my  fate,  follow- 
ing blindly  in  paths  where  there  was  no  turning  back,  that  I 
finally  became  so  lost  in  my  labors  that  my  only  relief  was  to 
finish  them.  Wherefore,  although  I  am  not  conscious  of  super- 
stition in  my  nature,  I  cannot  but  feel  that  in  this  great  work  I 
was  but  the  humble  instrument  of  some  power  mightier  than  I, 
call  it  providence,  fate,  environment,  or  what  you  will. 

And  now,  while  presenting  here  a  history  of  my  history,  an 
account  of  my  life,  its  efforts  and  accomplishments,  it  is  neces- 
sary first  of  all  that  there  should  be  established  in  the  mind  of 
the  reader  a  good  and  sufficient  reason  for  the  same.  For  in 
the  absence  of  such  a  reason,  the  author  is  guilty  of  placing 
himself  before  the  world  in  the  unenviable  light  of  one  who 
appears  to  think  more  highly  of  himself  and  his  labors  than 
the  world  thinks,  or  than  the  expressions  and  opinions  of  the 
world  would  justify  him  in  thinking. 

In  any  of  the  departments  of  literature,  he  alone  can  reas- 
onably ask  to  be  heard  who  has  either  some  new  ideas  or  some 
new  application  of  ideas ;  something  to  say  which  has  never 
been  said  before ;  or,  if  said  before,  then  something  which  can 
be  better  said  this  second  or  twentieth  time.  Within  the  latter 
clause  of  this  proposition  my  eftbrts  do  not  come.  All  ancient 
facts  are  well  recorded  ;  all  old  ideas  are  already  clothed  in 
more  beautiful  forms  than  are  at  my  command.  It  therefore 
remains  to  be  shown  that  my  historical  labors,  of  which  this 
volume  is  an  exposition,  come  properly  within  the  first  of  these 
conditions.  And  this  I  hope  to  make  apparent,  that  1  not 
only  deal  in  new  facts,  but  in  little  else ;  in  facts  which  are 
the  outcome  of  a  development  as  marvellous  in  its  origin  and 
as  magical  in  its  results  as  any  that  marked  the  breaking  up 
of  the  dark  age  preceding  the  world's  enlightenment.  Every 
glance  westward  was  met  by  a  new  ray  of  intelligence ;  every 
breath  of  western  air  brought  inspiration ;  every  step  was  over 
an  untried  field;  every  experiment,  thought,  aspiration,  and 
act  was  original  and  individual ;  and  the  recorder  of  the 
events  in  which  this  character  was  expressed  had  no  need  of 


4  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

old  and  beaten  paths,  of  legendary  lore,  or  of  grandfather's 
tales. 

Not  only  should  here  be  established  a  sufficient  reason  for 
the  appearance  of  this  volume,  as  the  record  of  a  lifetime  of 
earnest  endeavor,  but  the  appearance  of  its  predecessors  should 
be  justified  in  the  opinion  of  the  learned  and  intelligent  world, 
of  all  who  have  so  fully  and  freely  bestowed  their  praise  in 
the  past ;  for  the  two  propositions  must  stand  or  fall  together. 
If  my  historical  efforts  have  been  superfluous  or  unnecessary ; 
if  it  were  as  well  they  had  never  been  undertaken,  then  not 
only  have  they  no  right  to  exist,  to  cumber  the  earth  and 
occupy  valuable  room  upon  the  shelves  of  libraries,  but  this 
volume  must  also  be  set  down  as  the  product  of  the  mistaken 
zeal  that  has  deceived  the  author  in  regard  to  the  merit,  origi- 
nality, and  value  claimed  for  the  series.  In  a  word,  if  the 
work  is  nothing,  the  explanation  is  worse  than  nothing ;  but 
if  the  work  is  worthy  of  its  reputation,  as  one  that  is  individ- 
ual, important,  and  incapable  of  reproduction,  then  is  this 
history  and  description  of  it  something  which  should  also  be. 
done,  something  imperatively  demanded  of  the  author  as  due 
to  those  whose  kindness  and  sympathy  have  sustained  him  in 
his  long  and  arduous  undertakings. 

The  proposition  stands  thus :  As  the  author's  life  has  been 
mainly  devoted  to  this  labor,  and  not  his  alone  but  the  lives 
of  many  others,  and  as  the  work  has  been  extensive  and  alto- 
gether different  from  any  which  has  hitherto  been  accom- 
plished, he  has  thought  that  there  would  be  interest  and 
value  in  a  report  setting  forth  what  he  has  accomplished  and 
how  he  accomplished  it.  Coming  to  this  coast  a  boy,  he  has 
seen  it  transformed  from  a  wilderness  into  a  garden  of  latter- 
day  civilization,  vast  areas  between  the  mountains  and  the 
sea  which  were  at  first  pronounced  valueless  unfolding  into 
homes  of  refinement  and  progress.  As  upon  the  territory 
covered  by  his  work  there  is  now  planting  a  civilization  des- 
tined in  time  to  be  superior  to  any  now  existing ;  and  as  to 
coming  millions,  if  not  to  those  now  here,  everything  con- 
nected with  the  efforts  of  the  builders  of  the  commonwealths 


THE    FIELD,  5 

on  these  shores  will  be  of  vital  interest  —  it  seems  not  out  of 
place  to  devote  the  last  volume  of  the  historical  series,  proper, 
to  an  account  of  his  labors  in  this  field. 

By  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  there  was  scarcely 
a  nation  or  a  civilized  state  on  the  globe  whose  history  had 
not  been  vividly  portrayed,  some  of  them  many  times.  That 
part  of  the  north  temperate  zone  whose  western  verge  looks 
across  the  Pacific  to  the  ancient  east,  the  last  spot  occupied 
by  European  civilization,  and  the  final  halting-place  of  west- 
ward-marching empire,  was  obviously  the  least  favored  in 
this  respect;  while  the  tropical  plateaux  adjoining,  in  their 
unjDublished  annals,  offered  far  more  of  interest  to  historical 
research  than  many  other  parts  of  which  so  many  accounts 
had  already  been  written.  A  hundred  years  before  John 
Smith  saw  the  spot  on  which  Jamestown  was  planted,  or  the 
English  pilgrims  placed  foot  on  the  rock  of  Plymouth,  thou- 
sands of  Spaniards  had  crossed  the  high  sea,  achieved  mighty 
conquests,  seized  vast  tracts  of  the  two  Americas,  and  placed 
their  peoples  under  tribute.  They  had  built  towns,  worked 
mines,  established  plantations,  and  solved  many  of  the  prob- 
lems attending  European  colonization  in  the  New  World. 
Yet,  while  the  United  States  of  North  America  could  spread 
before  English  readers  their  history  by  a  dozen  authors  of 
repute,  the  states  of  Central  America  and  Mexico  could  pro- 
duce comparatively  few  of  their  annals  in  English,  and  little 
worthy  of  their  deeds  even  in  the  Spanish  language.  Canada 
was  better  provided  in  this  respect,  as  were  also  several  of 
the  governments  of  South  America.  Alaska  belonged  to 
Russia,  and  its  history  must  come  through  Russian  channels. 
British  Columbia  still  looked  toward  England,  but  the  begin- 
ning, aside  from  the  earliest  coast  voyages,  was  from  Canada. 
Washington,  Oregon,  and  the  inland  territory  adjacent  were 
an  acknowledged  part  of  the  United  States,  whose  acquisi- 
tion from  Mexico,  in  1847,  of  the  territory  lying  between  the 
parallels  of  32°  and  42^  left  the  ownership  of  the  coast  essen- 
tially as  it  is  to-day.  Enticingly  stood  these  neglected  Pacific 
states  before  the  historian ;  for  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  was 


6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

no  part  of  the  globe  equal  in  historic  interest  and  importance 
to  this  western  half  of  North  America,  including  the  whole 
of  Mexico  and  Central  America,  which  at  the  time  had 
not  its  historical  material  in  better  form  and  its  history  well 
written  by  one  or  more  competent  persons.  Before  him  who 
was  able  to  cultivate  it,  here  lay  The  Field. 

In  the  unfoldings  of  my  fate,  I  found  myself  in  the  year 
1856  in  the  newly  Americanized  and  gold-burnished  country 
of  California,  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  which  stands  on 
a  narrow  peninsula,  about  midway  between  either  extreme 
of  the  mighty  stretch  of  western  seaboard,  beside  a  bay  un- 
equalled as  a  harbor  by  any  along  the  whole  seven  thousand 
miles  of  shore  line,  and  unsurpassed  by  any  in  the  world. 
Out  of  this  circumstance,  as  from  omnipotent  accident,  sprang 
the  Literary  Industries  of  which  this  volume  is  a  record. 

For  California  reaction  after  the  flush  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  had  fairly  set  in.  Agriculture  had  not  yet  assumed 
great  importance  ;  manufactures  were  still  more  insignificant. 
Placer  mining  returns  had  fallen  from  an  ounce  of  gold  to 
half  an  ounce,  then  to  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  a  day  to  the 
digger ;  quartz  mining  was  as  ruinous  as  gambling.  Most 
of  the  merchants  had  already  failed  once,  some  of  them  sev- 
eral times.  As  a  rule  they  had  begun  business  on  nothing, 
had  conducted  it  recklessly,  with  large  profits  expecting  still 
larger,  until,  from  overtrading,  from  repeated  fires  and  fail- 
ures, they  awoke  as  from  a  commercial  delirium  to  find  them- 
selves bankrupt,  and  their  credit  and  standing  destroyed.  A 
maladic du pays  seized  upon  some,  who  thereupon  departed; 
others  set  about  reforming  their  ideas  and  habits,  and  so  be- 
gan the  battle  of  life  anew. 

There  was  little  thought  of  mental  culture  at  this  time,  of 
refinement  and  literature,  or  even  of  great  wealth  and  luxury. 
The  first  dream  was  over  of  ships  laden  with  gold-dust  and 
of  palaces  at  convenient  intervals  in  various  parts  of  the 
world,  and  humbler  aspirations  followed. 

Slowly  as  were  unlocked  to  man  the  wealth  and  mysteries 
of  this  Pacific  seaboard,  so  will  be  the  intellectual  possibilities 


\ 


THE    FIELD.  7 

of  this  cradle  of  the  new  civilization.  Just  as  this  country, 
once  deemed  unproductive,  can  now  from  its  surplus  feed 
other  countries,  so  from  our  intellectual  products  shall  we 
some  day  nourish  the  nations.  In  the  material  wealth  and 
beauty  with  which  nature  has  endowed  this  land  we  may  find 
the  promise  of  the  wealth  and  beauty  of  mind.  The  metal- 
veined  mountains  are  symbolic  of  the  human  force  that  will 
shortly  dwell  beneath  their  shadows. 

Civilization  as  the  stronger  element  supplants  savagery, 
drives  it  from  the  more  favored  spots  of  earth,  and  enters  in 
to  occupy.  The  aspects  of  nature  have  no  less  influence  on 
the  distribution  or  migration  of  civilized  peoples  than  upon 
indigenous  development.  It  is  a  fact  no  less  unaccountable 
than  pleasing  to  contemplate,  that  these  western  shores  of 
North  America  should  have  been  so  long  reserved,  that  a 
land  so  well  adapted  to  cosmopolitan  occupation,  which  has 
a  counterpart  for  all  that  can  be  found  in  other  lands,  which 
presents  so  many  of  the  beauties  of  other  climes  and  so  few 
of  their  asperities — that  so  favorable  a  spot,  the  last  of  tem- 
perate earth,  should  have  been  held  unoccupied  so  long,  and 
that  then  it  should  have  been  settled  in  such  a  way,  the  only 
possible  way  it  would  seem  for  the  full  and  immediate  accom- 
plishment of  its  high  destiny — I  say,  though  pleasing  to  con- 
template, it  is  passing  strange.  Here  the  chronic  emigrant 
must  rest ;  there  is  for  him  no  farther  west.  From  its  Asiatic 
cradle  westward  round  the  globe  to  the  very  threshold  of  its 
source,  the  march  of  civilization  has  ever  been  steadily  and 
constantly  leaving  in  its  track  the  expended  energies  of  dead 
nations.  A  worn-out  world  is  re-animated  as  it  slowly  migrates 
toward  the  setting  sun. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   ATMOSPHERE. 

The  true,  great  want  is  of  an  atmosphere  of  sympathy  in  intellectual 
aims.  An  artist  can  afford  to  be  poor,  but  not  to  be  companionless.  It 
is  not  well  that  he  should  feel  pressing  on  him,  in  addition  to  his  own 
doubt  whether  he  can  achieve  a  certain  work,  the  weight  of  the  public 
doubt  whether  it  be  worth  achieving.  No  man  can  live  entirely  on  his 
own  ideal. — Higgitison. 

OFTEN  during  the  progress  of  my  literary  labors  ques- 
tions have  arisen  as  to  the  influence  of  California  cli- 
mate and  society  on  the  present  and  future  development  of 
letters.  Charles  Nordhoff  said  to  me  one  day  at  his  villa 
on  the  Hudson :  "  The  strangest  part  of  it  is  how  you  ever 
came  to  embark  in  such  a  labor.  The  atmosphere  of  Cali- 
fornia is  so  foreign  to  literary  pursuits,  the  minds  of  the 
people  so  much  more  intent  on  gold-getting  and  social 
pleasures  than  on  intellectual  culture  and  the  investigation 
of  historical  or  abstract  subjects,  that  your  isolation  must 
have  been  severe.  I  could  not  help  feeling  this  keenly 
myself,"  continued  my  entertainer,  "  while  on  your  coast. 
With  a  host  of  friends  ready  to  do  everything  in  their 
power  to  serve  me,  I  was  in  reality  without  companionship, 
without  that  broad  and  generous  sympathy  which  charac- 
terizes men  of  letters  everywhere ;  so  that  it  amazes  me  to  find 
a  product  like  yours  germinating  and  developing  in  such  a 
soil  and  such  a  climate." 

While  it  was  true,  I  replied,  that  no  great  attempts  were 
made  in  the  field  of  letters  in  California,  and  while  com- 
paratively few  of  the  people  were  specially  interested  in  lit- 
erature or  literary  men,  yet  I  had  never  experienced  the 
feeling  of  which  he  spoke. 


THE    ATMOSPHERE. 


My  mother  used  to  say  that  she  never  felt  lonely  in  her 
life ;  and  yet  she  was  most  companionable,  and  enjoyed  society 
as  much  as  any  one  I  ever  knew.  But  her  heart  was  so  sin- 
gle and  pure,  her  mind  so  clear,  intelligent,  and  free,  that  to 
commune  with  her  heart,  and  allow  her  mind  to  feed  on  its  own 
intelligence,  filled  to  the  full  the  measure  of  her  soul's  require- 
ments. A  healthy  cultivated  mind  never  can  be  lonely ;  all 
the  universe  is  its  companion.  Yet  it  may  be  alone,  and  may 
feel  that  natural  craving  for  companionship,  of  which  it  is  not 
good  for  man  long  to  remain  deprived.  Though  for  different 
reasons,  I  can  say  Avith  my  mother  that  I  never  have  experi- 
enced loneliness  in  my  labors.  If  I  was  ever  alone  it  was  in 
an  atmosphere  of  dead  forms  and  conventionalisms  crushing 
to  my  nature,  and  where  something  was  expected  of  me  that 
I  had  not  to  give.  Thus  have  I  been  lonely  for  my  work, 
but  not  in  it.  Once  engaged,  all  else  was  forgotten ;  as  the 
sublime  Jean  Paul  Richter  expresses  it,  "  Ein  Gelehrter  hat 
keine  lange  Weile."  Nor  can  I  truly  say  that  I  have  ever 
felt  any  lack  of  appreciation  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Cali- 
fornia. As  a  matter  of  fact,  my  mind  has  had  little  time  to 
dwell  on  such  things.  What  chiefly  has  concerned  me  these 
twenty  or  thirty  years  has  been,  not  what  people  were  think- 
ing of  me  and  of  my  efforts,  but  how  I  could  best  and  most 
thoroughly  perform  my  task.  I  have  never  stopped  to  con- 
sider whether  my  labors  were  appreciated  by  my  neighbors, 
or  whether  they  knew  aught  of  them,  or  concerned  themselves 
about  them.  I  have  never  felt  isolation.  To  be  free,  free  in 
mind  and  body,  free  of  business,  of  society,  free  from  inter- 
ruptions and  weariness,  this  has  been  my  chief  concern. 

True,  I  could  not  overlook  the  fact  that  although  I  was  in  the 
midst  of  many  warm  friends,  and  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
hearty  well-wishers,  my  motives  were  not  fully  understood 
nor  my  work  appreciated.  Had  it  been  otherwise  I  should 
not  entertain  a  very  high  opinion  of  either.  If  that  which 
engaged  me,  body  and  soul,  was  not  above  the  average  of 
aspiration,  or  even  of  sympathy,  there  was  nothing  flattering 
in  the  thought,  and  I  had  better  not  dwell  upon  it.     I  was 


lO  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

an  individual  Avorker,  and  my  task  was  individual;  and  I 
solaced  myself  with  the  reflection  that  the  ablest  and  most 
intelligent  men  manifested  the  most  interest  in  the  work.  I 
had  never  expected  very  wide  recognition  or  appreciation, 
and  I  always  had  more  than  I  deemed  my  due.  Surely  I 
could  find  no  fault  with  the  people  of  the  Pacific  coast  for  at- 
tending to  their  business,  each  according  to  his  interest  or 
taste,  while  I  followed  what  best  pleased  me.  Further  than 
this,  I  did  not  regard  my  fate  as  resting  wholly  in  their  hands ; 
for  unless  I  could  gain  the  approval  of  leading  men  of  letters 
throughout  the  world,  of  those  wholly  disinterested  and  most 
competent  to  judge,  my  efforts  would  prove  in  my  own  eyes 
a  failure.  Thus,  from  the  outset,  I  learned  to  look  on  my- 
self and  the  work,  as  the  products  not  of  California,  or  of 
America,  but  of  the  world ;  therefore  isolation  signified  only 
retirement,  for  which  I  felt  most  thankful. 

Perhaps  men  of  letters  are  too  critical ;  sensitive  as  a  rule 
they  have  always  been,  though  less  so  than  men  in  some 
other  professions.  Hawthorne  complained  of  a  lack  of  sym- 
pathy during  twelve  years  of  his  young  manhood,  in  which 
he  failed  to  make  the  slightest  impression  on  the  public 
mind,  so  that  he  found  "  no  incitement  to  literary  effort  in  a 
reasonable  prospect  of  reputation  or  profit ;  nothing  but  the 
pleasure  itself  of  composition  —  an  enjoyment  not  at  all  amiss 
in  its  way,  and  perhaps  essential  to  the  merit  of  the  work  in 
hand,  but  which,  in  the  long-run,  will  hardly  keep  the  chill 
out  of  the  writer's  heart  or  the  numbness  out  of  his  fingers." 
It  is  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the  unappreciative  masses 
should  be  deeply  interested  in  such  work.  And  as  regards 
the  more  intelligent,  each  as  a  rule  has  something  specially 
commanding  his  attention,  which  being  of  paramount  interest 
to  himself,  he  naturally  expects  to  command  the  attention  of 
others.  The  attention  of  the  great  heedless  public  will  neces- 
sarily be  caught  by  that  which  makes  the  plainest  and  most 
direct  appeal,  that  which  most  easily  and  instantly  can  be 
measured  by  big  round  dollars,  or  by  pleasures  which  they 
appreciate  and  covet. 


THE    ATMOSPHERE.  II 

I  can  truthfully  say  that  from  the  very  first  I  have  been 
more  than  satisfied  with  the  recognition  my  fellow-citizens  of 
Cahfomia  have  given  my  attempts  at  authorship.  If,  by 
reason  of  preoccupation  or  other  cause,  their  minds  have  not 
absorbed  historical  and  literary  subjects  as  mine  has  done,  it 
is  perhaps  fortunate  for  them.  Indeed,  of  what  is  called  the 
culture  of  letters  there  was  none  during  my  working  days  in 
California.  The  few  attempts  made  to  achieve  literature  met 
a  fate  but  little  superior  to  that  of  a  third-rate  poet  in  Rome 
in  the  time  of  Juvenal. 

Peoples  rapidly  change ;  but  what  shall  we  say  when  so 
esteemed  a  writer  as  Grace  Greenwood  adds  to  the  social  a 
physical  cause  why  literature  in  California  should  not  pros- 
per? "  I  really  cannot  see,"  she  writes,  "how  this  coast  can 
ever  make  a  great  record  in  scientific  discoveries  and  attain- 
ments, and  the  loftier  walks  of  literature  —  can  ever  raise 
great  students,  authors,  and  artists  of  its  own.  Leaving  out 
of  consideration  the  fast  and  furious  rate  of  business  enter- 
prise, and  the  maelstrom-like  force  of  the  spirit  of  specula- 
tion, of  gambling,  on  a  mighty,  magnificent  sweep,  I  cannot 
see  how,  in  a  country  so  enticingly  picturesque,  where  three 
hundred  days  out  of  every  year  invite  you  forth  into  the 
open  air  with  bright  beguilements  and  soft  blandishments, 
any  considerable  number  of  sensible,  healthy  men  and  women 
can  ever  be  brought  to  buckle  down  to  study  of  the  hardest, 
most  persistent  sort ;  to  '  poring  over  miserable  books ' ;  to 
brooding  over  theories  and  incubating  inventions.  California 
is  not  wanting  in  admirable  educational  enterprises,  originated 
and  engineered  by  able  men  and  fine  scholars ;  and  there  is 
any  amount  of  a  certain  sort  of  brain  stimulus  in  the  atmos- 
phere. She  will  always  produce  brilliant  men  and  women 
of  society,  wits,  and  ready  speakers;  but  I  do  not  think 
she  will  ever  be  the  rival  of  bleak  little  Massachusetts  or 
stony  old  Connecticut  in  thorough  culture,  in  the  produc- 
tion of  classical  scholars,  great  jurists,  theologians,  histo- 
rians, and  reformers.  The  conditions  of  life  are  too  easy. 
East  winds,  snows,  and  rocks  are  the  grim  allies  of  .serious 


12  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

thought  and  plodding  research,  of  tough  brain  and  strong 
Avills." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  author  of  Greater  Britain,  after 
speaking  of  the  weirdly  peaked  or  flattened  hills,  the  new 
skies,  and  birds,  and  plants,  and  the  warm,  crisp  air,  unlike 
any  in  the  world  but  those  of  South  Australia,  thinks  "  it  will 
be  strange  if  the  Pacific  coast  does  not  produce  a  new  school 
of  Saxon  poets,"  affirming  that  "  painters  it  has  already  given 
to  the  world."  "  For  myself,"  exclaims  Bayard  Taylor,  "  in 
breathing  an  air  sweeter  than  that  which  first  caught  the 
honeyed  words  of  Plato,  in  looking  upon  lovelier  vales  than 
those  of  Tempe  and  Eurotas,  in  wandering  through  a  land 
whose  sentinel  peak  of  Shasta  far  overtops  the  Olympian 
throne  of  Jupiter,  I  could  not  but  feel  that  nature  must  be 
false  to  her  promise,  or  man  is  not  the  splendid  creature  he 
once  was,  if  the  art,  the  literature,  and  philosophy  of  ancient 
Greece  are  not  one  day  rivalled  on  this  last  of  inhabited 
shores ! " 

"  What  effect  the  physical  climate  of  California  may  have 
on  literary  instincts  and  literary  efforts,"  says  Walter  M. 
Fisher,  "  I  am  afraid  it  would  be  premature,  from  our  present 
data,  exactly  to  say  or  predict.  Its  general  Laodicean  equa- 
bility, summer  and  winter  through,  may  tend  to  a  monotony 
of  tension  unfavorable  to  that  class  of  poetic  mind  developed 
in  and  fed  by  the  fierce  extremes  of  storm  or  utter  calm,  of 
fervent  summers,  or  frosts  hke  those  of  Niflelheim.  It  is  gen- 
erally held,  however,  that  the  mildness  of  the  Athenian  cli- 
mate had  much  to  do  with  the  '  sweet  reasonableness '  of  her 
culture,  and  it  is  usual  to  find  a  more  rugged  and  less  artistic 
spirit  inhabit  the  muses  of  the  Norse  zone;  while  the  liHes 
and  languors  of  the  tropics  are  doubtfully  productive  of  any- 
thing above  the  grade  of  pure  '  sensuous  caterwauling.'  Fol- 
lowing this  very  fanciful  line  of  thought  the  Golden  State 
should  rejuvenate  the  glories  of  the  City  of  the  Violet  Crown 
and  become  the  alma  mater  of  the  universe.  As  to  the  effects 
of  the  social  climate  of  California  on  literary  aspiration  and 
effort,  little  that  is  favorable  can  be  said  for  the  present,  little 


THE   ATMOSPHERE.  1 3 

that  is  unfavorable  should  be  feared  from  the  future.  Cali- 
fornia/i^/r  is  ^.pametni,  making  money,  fighting  his  way  into 
society,  having  no  time  or  taste  for  studying  anything  save 
the  news  of  the  day  and  perhaps  an  -occasional  work  of  broad 
humor.  It  is  for  his  heir,  Californiayf/jr,  to  be  a  gentleman 
of  leisure  and  wear  '  literary  frills.'  For  the  present,  a  taste 
in  that  direction  is  simply  not  understood,  though  it  is  tol- 
erated, as  the  worship  of  any  strange  god  is.  The  orthodox 
god  of  the  hour  is  Plutus :  sandi/s,  sanc/us,  sancfus,  domijins 
dens  sabaoth  :  cxaltat  cornu  populi  sui :  selah  !  All  this,  how- 
ever, is  but  for  a  moment.  Let  us  put  our  fancy  apocalyp- 
tically, after  the  fashion  of  Dr.  Gumming :  '  And  the  first 
beast  was  like  a  lion,  and  the  second  beast  was  like  a  calf, 
and  the  third  beast  had  a  face  as  a  man,  and  the  fourth  beast 
was  like  a  flying  eagle ! '  California  past,  present,  and  to 
come.  The  lion-hearts  of  reckless  '49  are  cold.  The  golden 
calf  bestrides  the  land,  belittling  man.  To-moiTOw  they  will 
make  it  a  beast  of  burden,  not  a  god.  And  when  the  lion's 
heart  is  joined  to  riches,  and  riches  to  pure  manhood,  and 
manhood  to  a  high  and  far-reaching  culture  in  letters,  and 
science,  and  art,  then  no  symbol  of  eagle  eye  or  eagle  wing 
will  be  unapt  to  the  sunward  progress  of  the  State." 

So  might  we  go  on  with  what  twenty  or  fifty  others  have 
imagined  regarding  the  effect  of  social  and  physical  surround- 
ings, on  literature  and  art  in  California  or  elsewhere,  and  be 
little  the  wiser  for  it  all.  With  the  first  coming  to  Oregon  of 
New  England  propagandists,  books  began  to  be  written  which 
should  tell  to  the  East  what  the  unrevealed  West  contained. 
And  this  writing  continued  and  will  continue  as  long  as  there 
are  men  and  women  who  fancy  that  knowledge  as  it  first 
comes  to  them  first  comes  to  the  world. 

We  may  fully  recognize  the  mighty  power  of  environment 
without  being  able  to  analyze  it.  As  Goldoni  observes,  "  II 
mondo  e  un  bel  libro,  ma  poco  serve  a  chi  non  lo  sa  leggere  " ; 
and  as  Hegel  says,  "  nature  should  not  be  rated  too  high  nor 
too  low.  The  mild  Ionic  sky  certainly  contributed  much  to 
the  charm  of  the  Homeric  poems,  yet  this  alone  can  produce 


14  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

no  Homer."  While  literature  is  an  increment  of  social  intel- 
ligence and  the  resultant  of  social  progress,  it  is  certainly  in- 
fluenced by  the  effect  on  the  mind  of  man  of  climate  and 
scenery,  of  accident  and  locality,  which  act  both  positively 
and  negatively,  partly  in  harmony,  partly  in  antagonism.  Some 
atmospheres  seem  to  absorb  the  subtle  substance  of  the  brain ; 
others  feed  the  mental  powers  and  stimulate  them  to  their 
utmost  capabilities. 

The  idyllic  picture  of  his  life  at  Scillus,  as  presented  by 
Xenophon,  not  wholly  in  the  bustling  world  nor  yet  beyond 
it,  is  most  charming.  Sophocles  retired  from  busy  Athens  to 
lovely  Colonus.  Horace  in  gay,  luxurious  Rome  renounced 
wealth  and  social  distinction,  preferring  few  friendships  and 
those  of  the  purest  and  best — Maecenas,  Virgil,  Varius — pre- 
ferring pleasures  more  refined,  with  temperance  in  all  things, 
and  above  all  contentment,  that  content  which  knows  not  the 
lust  of  gain  and  the  gnawing,  disquietudes  of  social  rivalry. 

Maecenas  loved  the  noisy  streets  of  Rome,  but  Horace 
his  little  Sabine  farm,  the  gift  of  his  devoted  friend.  It  was 
there  in  free  and  undisturbed  thought  that  he  found  that  lei- 
sure so  necessary  to  his  soul's  health.  At  times  he  felt  the 
need  of  the  stir  and  excitement  of  the  capital,  but  soon  again 
he  longed  for  the  stillness  of  the  country,  so  that  his  ambling 
mule  was  kept  in  exercise  carrying  him  forth  and  back. 

Dugald  Stewart  clung  to  his  quiet  home ;  Scott  found  re- 
pose among  his  antiquated  folios ;  but  Jeffreys  disdained  lit- 
erary retirement,  and  sought  comfort  in  much  company.  Pope 
loved  his  lawn  at  Twickenham,  and  Wordsworth  the  solitude 
of  Grasmere.  Heine,  cramped  in  his  narroAv  Paris  quarters, 
sighed  for  trees  and  verdure.  Dr.  Arnold  hated  Rugby,  but, 
said  he,  "  it  is  very  inspiring  to  write  with  such  a  view  before 
one's  eyes  as  that  from  our  drawing-room  at  Allen  Bank, 
where  the  trees  of  the  shrubbery  gradually  run  up  into  the 
trees  of  the  cliff,  and  the  mountain-side,  with  its  infinite  va- 
riety of  rocky  peaks  and  points,  upon  which  the  cattle  expa- 
tiate, rises  over  the  tops  of  the  trees."    Buckle  preferred  the 


THE   ATMOSPHERE,  15 

city,  while  Tycho  Brahe,  and  the  brothers  Humboldt,  with 
shrewder  wisdom,  established  themselves  in  suburban  quar- 
ters near  a  city,  where  they  might  command  the  advantages 
and  escape  the  inconveniences  of  both. 

Exquisite,  odd,  timidly  bold,  and  sweetly  misanthropic 
Charles  Lamb  could  not  endure  the  glare  of  nature,  and  so 
must  needs  hide  himself  between  the  brick  walls  of  busy 
London,  where  he  lived  alone  with  his  sister,  shrinking  alike 
from  enemy  and  friend.  "  To  him,"  says  a  biographer,  "  the 
tide  of  human  life  that  flowed  through  Fleet  street  and  Lud- 
gate  Hill  was  worth  all  the  Wyes  and  Yarrows  in  the  uni- 
verse ;  there  were  to  his  thinking  no  green  lanes  to  compare 
with  Fetter  Lane  or  St.  Bride's;  no  garden  like  Covent 
Garden;  and  the  singing  of  all  the  feathered  tribes  of  the 
air  grated  harsh  discord  in  his  ear,  attuned  as  it  was  only  to 
the  drone  or  the  squall  of  the  London  ballad-singer,  the 
grinding  of  the  hand-organ,  and  the  nondescript  London 
cries,  set  to  their  cart-wheel  accompaniment."  And  Dr. 
Johnson,  too,  loved  dingy,  dirty  Fleet  street  and  smoky  Pall 
Mall  above  any  freshness  or  beauty  nature  could  aftbrd  in  the 
country.  "  Sir,"  he  says,  after  his  usual  sententious  fashion, 
"  when  you  have  seen  one  green  field  you  have  seen  all 
green  fields.  Sir,  I  like  to  look  upon  men.  Let  us  walk 
down  Cheapside." 

How  different  had  been  the  culture  of  Goethe,  less  diver- 
sified, perhaps,  but  deeper,  if  instead  of  the  busy  city  of 
Frankfort  his  life  had  been  spent  in  rural  districts.  What 
would  Dickens  have  been,  confined  for  life  to  the  mountains 
o-f  Switzerland  ?  or  Ruskin,  shut  between  the  dingy  walls  of 
London  ?  No  St,  John  would  find  heaven  in  the  New  York 
of  to-day;  nor  need  Dante,  in  the  California  Inferno  of 
'forty-nine,  have  gone  beneath  the  surface  to  invent  a  hell. 
A  desultory  genius  is  apt  to  be  led  away  by  city  life  and 
bustle;  a  bashful  genius  is  inclined  to  bury  himself  in  the 
country,  away  from  wholesome  society  and  knowledge  of  the 
world ;  a  healthy  genius  finds  the  greatest  benefit  in  spending 
part  of  his  time  in  each. 


l6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Thus  we  find  that  different  conditions  best  suit  different 
temperaments.  Some  enjoy  scenery,  others  care  Httle  for  it ; 
some  prefer  the  country,  others  the  city.  To  many,  while 
ardently  loving  nature,  and  having  no  predilection  for  coal 
smoke  and  the  rattle  of  vehicles,  time  and  place  are  still 
nothing  while  they  are  wholly  absorbed  in  active  occupation. 
Scenery,  other  than  the  scenery  within,  has  little  to  do  with 
true  work.  If  not  called  to  consciousness  by  some  external 
agent,  the  absorbed  worker  hardly  knows  or  cares  whether 
he  occupies  a  tent  in  the  wilderness  or  a  parlor  in  the  city. 
On  the  whole,  the  country  offers  superior  advantages,  but 
more  on  account  of  freedom  from  interruption  than  from 
any  other  cause. 

Change,  always  beneficial,  is  to  many  essential.  With  an 
exquisite  sense  of  relief  one  'escapes  from  the  din  and  clatter 
of  the  city,  and  the  harassing  anxieties  of  business,  to  the 
soft,  sensuous  repose  of  the  country,  with  its  hazy  light,  aro- 
matic air,  and  sweet  songs  of  birds.  Thus  freed  for  a  time 
from  killing  care,  and  wrapped  in  delicious  reverie  in  some 
sequestered  nook,  thought  is  liberated,  sweeps  the  universe, 
and  looks  its  maker  in  the  face.  Sky,  hill,  and  plain  are  all 
instinct  with  eloquence.  And  best  of  all,  the  shelter  there ; 
no  one  to  molest.  All  day,  and  all  night,  and  the  morrow, 
secure.  No  buzzing  of  business  about  one's  ears  ;  no  curious 
callers  nor  stupid  critics  to  entertain.  Safe  with  the  world 
walled  out,  and  heaven  opening  above  and  around.  Then 
ere  long  the  bliss  becomes  tame ;  the  voluptuous  breath  of 
nature  palls,  her  beauties  become  monotonous,  the  rested 
energies  long  for  exercise,  and  with  Socrates  the  inconstant 
one  exclaims :  "  Trees  and  fields  tell  me  nothing ;  men  are 
my  teachers ! " 

Yet,  after  all,  the  city  only  absorbs  men,  it  does  not  create 
them.  Intellect  at  its  inception,  like  forest-trees,  must  have 
soil,  sunshine,  and  air;  afterward  it  may  be  worked  into 
divers  mechanisms.  The  city  consumes  mind  as  it  consumes 
beef  and  potatoes,  and  must  be  constantly  replenished  from 
the  country,  otherwise  life  would   there  exhaust  itself.     Its 


THE    ATMOSPHERE,  1 7 

atmosphere,  physically  and  morally  deleterious  from  smoke 
and  dust  and  oft-repeated  breathings,  from  the  perspirations 
of  lust  and  the  miasmatic  vapors  arising  from  sink-holes  of 
vice,  exercises  as  baneful  an  influence  on  the  young  poetic 
soul  as  does  the  abnormal  excitement  of  business  and  society. 
The  passions  of  humanity  concentrated  in  masses,  like  ill 
cured  hay  in  the  stack,  putrefy  and  send  forth,  in  place  of 
the  sweet  odor  of  new-mown  grass,  a  humid,  musty  smell, 
precursor  of  innumerable  fetid  products.  In  the  country 
the  affections  harmonize  more  Avith  nature,  engender  purer 
thoughts,  and  develop  lovelier  forms  than  in  the  callous,  un- 
sympathetic crowds  of  a  city. 

A  life  in  closets  and  cloisters  leads  to  one-sided  fixedness 
of  ideas.  Yet,  though  retirement  often  produces  eccentricity, 
it  likewise  promotes  originality.  To  thoughtful,  sensitive  na- 
tures it  is  absolutely  essential.  Every  man  must  follow  his 
own  bent  in  this  respect.  Method  is  good  in  all  things,  but 
it  is  perhaps  better  to  be  without  method  than  to  be  the  slave 
of  it.  Distance  from  the  object  dwelt  upon  often  lends  clear- 
ness to  thought.  Distinctly  audible  are  the  solemn  strokes 
of  the  town  clock  beyond  the  limits  of  the  village,  though 
near  at  hand  they  may  be  drowned  by  the  hum  of  the 
multitude. 

There  are  minor  conditions  peculiar  to  individual  writers 
which  stimulate  or  retard  intellectual  labor.  There  is  the  lazy 
man  of  genius,  like  Hazlitt,  who  never  wrote  till  driven  to  it 
by  hunger;  unless,  indeed,  surcharged  with  some  subject,  he 
threw  it  off  to  find  relief  Hensius  says:  "I  no  sooner  come 
into  the  library  but  I  bolt  the  door  to  me,  excluding  lust,  am- 
bition, avarice,  and  all  such  vices  whose  nurse  is  idleness,  the 
mother  of  ignorance  and  melancholy.  In  the  very  lap  of 
eternity,  amongst  so  many  divine  souls,  I  take  my  seat  with 
so  lofty  a  spirit  and  sweet  content,  that  I  pity  all  our  great 
ones  and  rich  men  that  know  not  this  happiness.  If  favor- 
able surroundings  are  so  necessary,  what  shall  we  say  of  the 
great  works  engendered  under  unfavorable  conditions  ?  But 
for  the  imprisonment  of  Cervantes,  who  can  tell  if  ever  the 
2 


l8  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

world  would  have  known  the  inimitable  Don  Quixote  and 
his  servant  Sancho  ?  Bunyan's  grand  allegory  was  likewise 
a  prison  plant,  with  the  Bible  and  Fox^s  Martyrs  as  the 
author's  library  of  reference.  Writing  is  not  the  soft,  languid 
reverie  that  luxurious  fittings  and  furnishings  suggest ;  it  is 
the  hardest  and  most  wearing  of  occuiDations,  and  it  seems  a 
mockery,  when  the  temples  throb  and  the  bones  ache,  for 
the  eye  to  meet  at  every  turn  only  invitations  to  idleness  and 
ease. 

To  the  critics  previously  quoted  I  would  say  that  it  is  folly 
sweepingly  to  assert  of  this  or  that  strip  of  temperate  zone 
that  it  is  physically  conducive  to  the  growth  of  letters  or 
otherwise.  Variety  of  food,  of  scenery,  of  entertainment  is 
the  essential  need  of  the  mind.  As  for  the  stone  fences  and 
east  winds  of  Mrs.  Lippincott,  I  never  knew  them  to  be 
specially  stimulating  to  brain  work;  no  better,  at  all  events, 
than  the  sand  and  fog  of  San  Francisco,  or  the  north  winds 
and  alternations  of  heat  and  cold  in  the  valley  of  California, 
If  to  become  a  scholar  requires  no  discipline  or  self-denial 
greater  than  to  withstand  the  allurements  of  her  bewitching 
climate,  California  shall  not  lack  scholars.  When  most  rav- 
ished by  the  charms  of  nature  many  students  find  it  most 
difticult  to  tear  themselves  from  work.  Invigorating  air  and 
bright  sunshine,  purple  hills,  misty  mountains,  and  sparkling 
waters  may  be  enticing,  but  they  are  also  inspiring. 

Where  were  bleak  Massachusetts  and  rocky  Connecticut 
when  Athens,  and  Rome,  and  Alexandria  flourished  ?  If 
barrenness  and  stones  are  most  conducive  to  literature,  the 
Skye  Islands  should  be  the  best  place  for  men  of  letters.  I 
can  hardly  believe  that  unless  culture  is  beaten  into  us  by 
scowling  nature  we  must  forever  remain  savages.  Oxygen  is 
oxygen,  whether  it  vitalizes  mind  on  the  Atlantic  or  on  the 
Pacific  seaboard ;  and  to  the  student  of  steady  nerves,  absorbed 
in  his  labors,  it  matters  little  whether  his  window  overlooks 
a  park  or  a  precipice.  If  I  remember  rightly  the  country 
about  Stratford-on-Avon  is  not  particularly  rugged,  neither 
is  London  remarkable  for  picturesque  scenery.     And  surely 


THE   ATMOSPHERE.  1 9 

there  can  be  little  in  the  climate  of  California  antagonistic 
to  intellectual  attainments.  In  San  Francisco  there  is  no 
incompatibility,  that  I  can  discover,  between  philosophic  in- 
sight and  sandhills.  On  the  other  hand,  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  these  Pacific  States  there  are  thousands 
of  elements  stimulating  to  mental  activity. 

Agassiz  insists  that  the  climate  of  Europe  is  more  favorable 
to  literary  labors  than  that  of  America.  This  I  do  not  be- 
lieve ;  but  if  we  admit  it,  California  is  better  than  Massachu- 
setts, for  the  climate  of  California  is  European  rather  than 
eastern.  It  is  a  thinking  air,  this  of  California,  if  such  a  thing 
exists  outside  of  the  imagination  of  sentimentalists ;  an  air 
that  generates  and  stimulates  ideas ;  a  dry,  elastic  air,  strong, 
subtile,  and  serene.  It  has  often  been  noticed  in  going  back 
and  forth  across  the  continent ;  and  may  be  safely  asserted 
that  one  can  do  more  and  better  work  in  California  than  in 
the  east.  At  the  same  time  another  might  prefer  the  eastern 
extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  The  temperature  of  the  Pacific 
slope  is  exceptionally  mild,  the  thermal  lines  bending  north- 
ward as  they  cross  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Extreme  cold  we 
never  have,  except  on  alpine  altitudes.  On  the  seaboard  the 
atmosphere  throughout  the  entire  year  is  uniform,  cool,  and 
bracing.  There  is  little  difference  between  summer  and 
winter,  between  night  and  day ;  here  one  can  work  all  the 
time.  Indeed,  so  stimulating  and  changeless  is  this  ocean 
air  that  men  are  constantly  lured  to  more  protracted  efforts 
than  they  can  endure,  and  a  sudden  breaking  up  of  health  or 
a  softened  brain  is  in  many  instances  the  end  of  excessive 
and  prolonged  labor.  In  the  east  men  are  driven  from  their 
work  by  the  heat  of  summer,  and  the  cold  of  winter  compels 
some  to  rest;  here,  while  nature  rests,  that  is  during  the  dry 
season,  man  can  labor  as  well  as  at  any  other  time,  but  when 
driven  on  by  ambition  or  competition  he  is  apt  to  lay  upon 
his  body  and  mind  more  than  they  can  long  sustain. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  in  the  cHmate  that  ab- 
sorbs strength  unduly,  or  that  breaks  up  the  constitution 
earlier  than  elsewhere;  it  is  rather  that  the  system  wears 


20  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

out  and  falls  to  pieces.  If  this  happens  earlier  in  life  than 
it  should,  the  cause  is  to  be  found  in  continuous  and  restless 
application,  and  not  in  the  climate.  Before  the  gold  dis- 
covery Californians  usually  attained  a  ripe  age;  in  many 
cases  four  or  five  score  years  being  reached,  after  bringing 
into  the  world  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  children.  In  the 
interior,  during  the  rains  of  winter,  the  climate  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  coast — fresh  and  bracing;  in  summer  the  air  is 
hot  and  dry  during  the  day,  but  cool  and  refreshing  at  night. 
A  moist,  hot  climate  is  enervating ;  if  the  air  under  a  ver- 
tical sun  is  dry  the  effect  of  the  heat  is  much  less  unfavor- 
able. In  the  warm  valleys  of  the  Coast  range  students  can 
work  without  discomfort  from  morning  till  night  throughout 
the  entire  summer,  while  in  the  east,  the  temperature  being 
the  same,  or  even  lower,  they  would  be  completely  pros- 
trated. Yet,  with  its  incessant  strain,  the  friction  of  the 
machinery  wears  heavily  upon  the  system.  There  is  little 
danger  for  the  present  of  rusting  out,  with  such  an  exhila- 
rating climate  to  feed  energy,  and  such  cunning  ingenuity 
to  direct  it.  Extremes,  the  bane  of  humanity,  are  here  as 
nicely  balanced  as  in  the  classic  centers  of  the  Old  World. 
Excessive  heat  and  cold,  humidity  and  dryness,  redundancy 
and  steriHty,  are  so  far  uncommon  as  not  to  interfere  with 
progress. 

With  reference  to  the  oft-repeated  objections  to  the  pur- 
suit of  wealth  because  of  its  influence  on  letters,  much  may 
be  said.  From  necessary  labor,  and  from  such  honorable 
and  praiseworthy  enterprise  as  is  required  to  gain  an  inde- 
pendence, to  an  avaricious  pursuit  of  wealth  for  the  sake  of 
wealth,  the  progress  is  so  imperceptible  and  the  change  so 
unconscious  that  few  are  able  to  realize  it.  And  if  they  were, 
it  would  matter  not.  All  nature  covets  power.  Beasts,  and 
men,  and  gods,  all  place  otliers  under  them  so  far  as  they 
are  able ;  and  those  so  subordinated,  whether  by  fair  words, 
fraud,  or  violence,  will  forever  after  bow  in  adoration. 
Money  is  an  embodiment  of  power :  therefore  all  men  covet 


THE    ATMOSPHERE.  21 

money.  Most  men  desire  it  with  an  inordinate  craving 
wholly  beyond  its  true  and  relative  value.  This  craving 
fills  their  being  to  the  exclusion  of  higher,  nobler,  and  what 
would  be  to  them,  if  admitted,  happier  sentiments.  This  is 
the  rule  the  world  o\'er;  the  passion  is  no  stronger  in  Cali- 
fornia than  in  many  other  places.  But  it  has  here  its  peculi- 
arities. Society  under  its  present  regime  was  established  on 
a  gold-gathering  basis.  In  the  history  of  the  world  there 
never  was  founded  so  important  a  commonwealth  on  an 
interest  so  exclusively  metallic.  Most  of  the  colonial  attempts 
of  Asia  and  Europe  have  been  made  partly  with  the  object 
of  religion,  empire,  agriculture,  commerce.  It  is  true  that 
these  avowed  objects  were  often  little  more  than  pretences, 
money  lying  at  the  root  of  all;  yet  even  the  pretence  was 
better  in  some  respects  than  the  bald,  hard-visaged  fact. 
But  during  the  earlier  epoch  in  California's  history  three 
hundred  thousand  men  and  women  came  hither  from  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  world  with  no  other  object,  entertained  or 
expressed,  than  to  obtain  gold  and  carry  it  away  with  them. 
Traditionary  and  conventional  restraints  they  left  at  home. 
They  would  get  money  nov/,  and  attend  to  other  things  at 
another  time. 

Some  degree  of  wealth  in  a  community  is  essential  to  the 
culture  of  letters.  Where  all  must  work  constantly  for  bread 
the  hope  of  literature  is  small.  On  the  other  hand  excess  of 
wealth  may  be  an  evil.  The  sudden  and  enormous  accumu- 
lation of  riches  exercises  a  most  baneful  influence.  Brave 
indeed  must  be  the  struggles  that  overcome  the  allurements 
of  luxury,  the  subtle,  sensuous  influence  of  wealth,  entering 
as  it  does  the  domains  alike  of  intellect  and  the  affections, 
commanding  nature,  expanding  art,  and  filling  enlarged 
capacities  for  enjoyment.  Yet  he  who  would  attain  the 
highest  must  shake  from  him  these  entrancing  fetters,  if  ever 
fortune  lays  them  on  him,  and  stand  forth  absolutely  a  free 
man.  Poor  as  was  Jean  Paul  Richter,  he  deemed  his  burden 
of  poverty  less  hard  for  genius  to  bear  than  the  comparative 
wealth  of  Goethe. 


22  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Call  upon  a  man  given  body  and  soul  to  business,  a  man 
who  has  already  a  thousand  times  more  than  ever  he  will 
rightly  use ;  visit  him  in  his  hours  of  business ;  he  deems  his 
time  precious,  and  knits  his  brow  if  the  interruption  lasts. 
His  time  is  precious  ?  Yes.  How  much  is  it  worth  ?  Fifty 
dollars,  five  hundred  dollars  an  hour.  How  much  are  fifty  or 
five  hundred  dollars  worth  ?  Go  to,  bhnd  maggot !  Will 
you  not  presently  have  millions  of  years  of  leisure  ?  Oh  wise 
rich  man,  oh  noble  mind  and  aspiration,  to  measure  moments 
by  money  ! 

The  remedy  lies  in  the  disease.  Excess  of  avarice  that 
sinks  society  so  low,  nauseates.  Thus  the  right-minded  man 
will  argue  :  If  Plutus  is  always  to  remain  a  pig  in  intellect 
and  culture,  is  always  to  be  a  worshipful  pig,  the  only  ador- 
able of  his  fellow-pigs,  to  his  marble-stepped  gilded  sty  with 
him  and  his  money.  I  '11  none  of  him.  God  and  this  bright 
universe  beaming  with  intelligence  and  love ;  mind  that  lifts 
me  up,  and  makes  me  a  reasoning  creature,  and  tells  me 
what  I  am,  withholding  not  the  sweet  perfume  thrown  round 
me  by  the  flowers  of  unfolding  knowledge ;  immortal  soul, 
breathing  upon  mind  the  divine  breath ;  and  its  mortal  case- 
ment, the  body,  limited  to  a  few  short  days  of  this  blessed 
sunlight,  of  drinking  in  soft,  sweet  air  and  nature's  many 
melodies  —  these  will  not  let  me  sink.  The  commercial  or 
mechanical  plodder  again  will  say  :  What  are  these  pitiful 
thousands,  or  tens  or  hundreds  of  thousands,  which  by  a  life- 
time of  faithful  toil  and  economy  I  have  succeeded  in  getting 
together,  when  men  infinitely  my  inferior  in  ability,  intellect, 
and  culture,  by  a  lucky  stroke  of  fortune  make  their  millions 
in  a  month  ?  Surely  money  is  no  longer  the  measure  of 
intelligent  industry ;  it  is  becoming  a  common  and  less 
creditable  thing :  I  '11  worship  it  no  longer.  Even  envy  is 
bafiled,  overreached.  These  many  and  mammoth  fortunes, 
■made  by  stock-gambling  and  railway  manipulations,  so  over- 
shadow and  belittle  legitimate  efforts  that  men  are  constrained 
to  pause  and  consider  what  is  the  tendency  of  all  this,  and  to 
begin  comparisons  between  material  wealth  beyond  a  com- 


THE   ATMOSPHERE.  23 

petency  and  that  wealth  of  mind  which  alone  elevates  and 
ennobles  man. 

San  Francisco  has  absorbed  well-nigh  all  that  is  left  of  the 
Inferno.  Take  the  country  at  large,  and  since  the  youthful 
fire  that  first  flashed  in  our  cities  and  canons  California  in 
some  respects  has  degenerated.  Avarice  is  a  good  flint  on 
which  to  strike  the  metal  of  our  minds,  but  it  yields  no  steady 
flame.  The  hope  of  sudden  gain  excites  the  passions,  whets 
the  brain,  and  rouses  the  energies ;  but  when  the  effort  is 
over,  whether  successful  or  otherwise,  the  mind  sinks  into 
comparative  listlessness.  It  must  have  some  healthier  pabu- 
lum than  cupidity,  or  it  starves.  The  quality  of  our  Califor- 
nian  mind  to-day  may  be  seen  displayed  in  our  churches  and 
in  the  newspaper  press.  The  most  intellectual  and  refined 
of  our  pulpit  orators  are  not  always  the  most  popular.  Hard 
study,  broad  views  of  life  and  the  times,  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  mighty  enginery  that  is  now  driving  mankind  so 
rapidly  forward  materially  and  intellectually,  deep  and  im- 
partial inquiry  into  the  origin  and  tendency  of  things,  do  not 
characterize  clergymen  as  a  class.  There  are,  however,  some 
noble  exceptions  in  California  as  well  as  elsewhere  ;  but  there 
must  be  many  more  if  Christians  would  retain  their  hold  on 
the  minds  of  men,  and  stay  the  many  thinking  persons  who 
are  forsaking  their  accustomed  places  in  the  sanctuary. 

In  reviewing  the  effect  of  the  social  atmosphere  of  Califor- 
nia on  intellectual  culture  we  should  glance  at  the  body  so- 
cial, its  origin  and  its  destiny,  the  character  of  the  first  comers, 
the  cause  of  their  coming,  the  apprenticeship  to  which  they 
were  subjected  on  their  arrival,  and  finally  the  triumph  of  the 
good  and  the  confusion  of  the  evil.  It  was  no  pilgrim  band, 
these  gold-seeking  emigrants,  fleeing  from  persecution ;  it  was 
not  an  expedition  for  dominion  or  territory ;  nor  was  it  a  mis- 
sionary enterprise,  nor  a  theoretical  republic.  It  Avas  a  stam- 
pede of  the  nations,  a  hurried  gathering  in  a  magnificent 
wilderness  for  purposes  of  immediate  gain  by  mining  for  gold, 
and  was  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  the  race.  Knowing 
all  this  as  we  now  do ;  knowing  the  metal  these  men  were 


24  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

made  of,  the  calibre  of  their  minds,  the  fiery  furnace  of  ex- 
perience through  which  they  passed;  knowing  what  they 
are,  what  they  have  done,  what  they  are  doing,  is  it  not 
idle  to  ask  if  men  like  these,  or  the  sons  of  such  men,  can 
achieve  literature  ?  They  can  do  anything.  They  halt  not 
at  any  obstacle  surmountable  by  man.  They  pause  discom- 
fited only  upon  the  threshold  of  the  unknowable  and  the 
impossible.  The  literary  atmosphere  of  which  we  speak  is 
not  here  to-day ;  but  hither  the  winds  from  the  remotest 
comers  of  the  earth  are  wafting  it;  all  knowledge  and  all 
human  activities  are  placed  under  contribution,  and  out  of 
this  alembic  will  in  due  time  be  distilled  the  fine  gold  of 
Letters. 


I 


CHAPTER  III. 

SPRINGS   AND  LITTLE    BROOKS. 

On  fait  presque  toujours  les  grandes  choses  sans  savoir  comment  on 
les  fait,  et  on  est  tout  surpris  qu'on  les  a  faites.  Demandez  a  Cesar 
comment  il  se  rendit  le  maitre  du  monde ;  peut-etre  ne  vous  repondra-t-il 
pas  aisement. — FojitcncUe, 

SERMONIZE  as  we  may  on  fields  and  atmospheres,  internal 
agencies  and  environment,  at  the  end  of  life  we  know 
little  more  of  the  influences  that  moulded  us  than  at  the 
beginning.  Without  rudder  or  compass  our  bark  is  sent 
forth  on  the  stormy  sea,  and  although  we  fancy  we  know 
our  present  haven,  the  trackless  path  by  which  we  came 
hither  we  cannot  retrace.  The  record  of  a  life  written — 
what  is  it  ?  Between  the  lines  are  characters  invisible  which 
might  tell  us  something  could  we  translate  them.  They 
might  tell  us  something  of  those  ancient  riddles,  origin 
and  destiny,  free-will  and  necessity,  discussed  under  various 
names  by  learned  men  through  the  centuries,  and  all  without 
having  penetrated  one  hair's-breadth  into  the  mystery,  all 
without  having  gained  any  knowledge  of  the  subject  not 
possessed  by  man  primeval.  In  this  mighty  and  universal 
straining  to  fathom  the  unknowable,  Plato,  the  philosophic 
Greek,  seems  to  succeed  no  better  than  INIoncacht  Ape,  the 
philosophic  savage. 

Thus  much  progress,  however,  has  been  made :  there  are 
men  now  living  who  admit  that  they  know  nothing  about 
such  matters;  that  after  a  lifetime  of  study  and  meditation 
the  eyes  of  the  brightest  intellect  can  see  beyond  the  sky  no 
farther  than  those  of  the  most  unlearned  dolt.  And  they  are 
the  strongest  who  acknowledge  their  weakness  in  this  i^egard ; 


26  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

they  are  the  wisest  who  confess  their  ignorance.  Even  the 
ancients  understood  this,  though  by  the  mouth  of  Terentius 
they  put  the  proposition  a  httle  differently :  "  Faciunt  n^  in- 
telHgendo,  ut  nihil  intelhgant";  by  too  much  knowledge 
men  bring  it  about  that  they  know  nothing.  Confining  our 
investigations  to  the  walks  of  hterature,  surely  one  Avould 
think  genius  might  tell  something  of  itself,  something  of  its 
inceptions  and  inspirations.  But  what  says  genius  ?  "  They 
ask  me,"  complains  Goethe  of  the  critics  who  sought  in  vain 
the  moral  design  of  his  play,  "  what  idea  I  wished  to  incor- 
porate with  my  Faust.  Can  I  know  it  ?  Or,  if  I  know,  can 
I  put  it  into  words  ?  " 

Why  we  are  what  we  are,  and  not  some  other  person  or 
thing;  why  we  do  as  we  do,  turning  hither  instead  of  thither, 
are  problems  which  will  be  solved  only  with  the  great  and 
universal  exposition.  And  yet  there  is  little  that  seems 
strange  to  us  in  our  movements.  Things  appear  wonderful 
as  they  are  unfamiliar;  in  the  unknown  and  unfathomed  we 
think  we  see  God ;  but  is  anything  known  or  fathomed  ? 
Who  shall  measure  mind,  we  say,  or  paint  the  soul,  or  rend 
the  veil  that  separates  eternity  and  time  ?  Yet,  do  we  but 
think  of  it,  everything  relating  to  mankind  and  the  universe 
is  strange,  the  spring  that  moves  the  mind  of  man  not  more 
than  the  mechanism  on  which  it  presses.  "  How  wonderful  is 
death !  "  says  Shelley;  but  surely  not  more  wonderful  than  life 
or  intellect  which  brings  us  consciousness.  We  sec  the  youth's 
stark  body  carried  to  the  grave,  and  wonder  at  the  absence 
of  that  life  so  lately  animating  it,  and  question  what  it  is, 
whence  it  came,  and  whither  it  has  flown.  We  call  to  mind 
whatever  there  may  have  been  in  his  nature  of  promise  or  of 
singular  excellence ;  but  the  common  actions  of  the  youth, 
the  while  he  lived,  we  deem  accountable,  and  pass  them  by 
because  of  our  familiarity  with  similar  acts  in  others.  We 
see  nations  rise  and  die,  worlds  form  and  crumble,  and  won- 
der at  the  universe  unfolding,  but  the  minutiae  of  evolution, 
the  proximate  little  things  that  day  by  day  go  to  make  up  the 
great  ones,  we  think  we  understand,  and  we  wonder  at  them 


SPRINGS    AND    LITTLE    BROOKS.  27 

not  at  all.  It  was  regarded  an  easy  matter  a  century  ago 
to  define  a  mineral,  plant,  or  animal,  but  he  is  a  bold  man 
indeed  who  attempts  to-day  to  tell  what  these  things  are. 

Therefore,  in  answer  to  that  part  of  Mr.  Nordhoff's  won- 
derings  why  I  left  business  and  embarked  in  literature,  I  say 
I  cannot  tell.  Ask  the  mother  why  she  so  lo\angly  nurses  her 
little  one,  watching  with  tender  solicitude  its  growth  to  youth 
and  manhood,  only  to  send  it  forth  weaned,  perhaps  indiffer- 
ent or  ungrateful,  to  accomplish  its  destiny.  Literature  is 
my  love,  a  love  sprung  from  my  brain,  no  less  my  child  than 
the  offspring  of  my  body.  In  its  conception  and  birth  is 
present  the  parental  instinct,  in  its  cultivation  and  develop- 
ment the  parental  care,  in  its  results  the  parental  anxiety. 
There  are  those,  says  Hamerton,  "  who  are  urged  toward 
the  intellectual  life  by  irresistible  instincts,  as  water-fowl  are 
urged  to  an  aquatic  life.  ...  If  a  man  has  got  high  mental 
culture  during  his  passage  through  life,  it  is  of  little  consequence 
where  he  acquired  it,  or  how.  The  school  of  the  intellectual 
man  is  the  place  where  he  happens  to  be,  and  his  teachers 
arc  the  people,  books,  animals,  plants,  stones,  and  earth 
round  about  him." 

From  a  family  sketch  written  by  Curtis  Howe  in  1857  I 
quote  as  follows :  "  My  grandfather,  John  Howe,  was  born 
in  London  in  the  year  1650,  and  remained  there  through  his 
juvenile  years.  Nothing  is  known  of  his  parents,  and  very 
little  of  him,  only  that  some  time  after  he  became  a  man  he 
came  to  this  country  with  a  brother  whose  name  is  not 
known.  He  purchased  a  farm  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
acquired  a  handsome  property,  and  married  at  the  age  of 
sixty  a  girl  of  nineteen.  My  fathCiT,  Ephraim  Howe,  was  their 
youngest,  born  in  April,  1730,  his  father  being  at  that  time 
eighty  years  old.  December  2,  1756,  my  father  married 
Damaris  Seaward,  he  being  twenty-seven  and  she  seventeen. 
According  to  the  family  record  I  was  born  INIay  10,  1772; 
I  remained  very  small  and  grew  but  little  until  I  arrived 
at  my  teens,  and  reaching  my  full  size,  I  suppose,  only  when 
nearly  twenty-one." 


28  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

My  grandfather's  children  to  the  third  and  fourth  genera- 
tions became  scattered  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and 
as  he  advanced  in  years  there  was  a  growing  desire  in  him  to 
see  them  all  and  leave  with  them  his  blessing  ere  he  died. 
Many  of  them  he  did  see,  making  long  journeys  in  his  wagon 
rather  than  trust  himself  to  a  railway.  Strange  caution  this, 
it  always  seemed  to  me.  The  good  patriarch  could  trust  his 
God  implicitly  in  most  matters ;  indeed  he  was  confident  of 
his  protection  everywhere  except  on  steam-cars  and  steam- 
boats. He  could  go  to  him  in  trouble,  he  could  leave  his 
cares  with  him,  knowing  that  whatever  was  meted  out  to  him 
was  right  and  best;  but  he  was  a  little  doubtful  about  the 
new  method  of  travelling,  and  he  preferred  the  old  fashion 
with  horses  and  wagons,  such  as  had  brought  him  and  his 
household  safely  from  St.  Albans  to  Granville  and  such  as  he 
had  ever  since  employed.  The  spirit  of  steam  had  not  yet 
fallen  on  him.  Nevertheless,  so  great  was  the  desire  to  see 
his  children  in  California,  that  he  finally  summoned  courage 
or  faith  sufiicient  to  brave  both  railway  and  steamship, 
making  the  fatiguing,  and  for  him  dangerous,  passage  by  the 
Isthmus  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four. 

From  family  records  I  have  ascertained  that  a  grandmother 
of  my  father  and  a  grandmother  of  my  mother  were  born  in 
the  same  town  the  same  year;  both  died  the  same  year  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-six.  My  grandfathers  Bancroft  and 
Howe  were  both  born  in  Granville,  Massachusetts;  the 
former  died  in  Ohio,  the  latter  in  Kansas. 

Both  my  parents  were  born  in  the  year  1799.  ^^Y  i^^'i'-ive 
place  was  Granville,  Ohio,  and  the  day  the  fifth  of  May,  1832, 
just  two  centuries  after  the  arrival  of  my  ancestor  John  in 
America.  The  town  of  Granville  was  settled  by  a  colony 
from  New  England,  and  took  its  name  from  Granville,  Mas- 
sachusetts, whence  many  of  its  settlers  came.  It  Avas  in  1805 
that  a  company  was  formed  to  emigrate  to  what  was  then  the 
far  west,  and  two  of  the  number  went  to  search  the  Avilder- 
ness  for  a  suitable  location.  They  selected  a  heavily  timbered 
township  in  Ohio,  in  the  county  of  Licking,  so  called  from 


SPRINGS   AND    LITTLE    BROOKS.  29 

the  deer-licks  found  there.  The  year  following  the  colony 
was  organized,  not  as  a  joint-stock  company,  but  as  a  congre- 
gational church.  At  starting  a  sermon  was  preached  from 
the  text :  "  If  thy  presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up 
hence."  Then,  after  baking  much  bread,  a  portion  of  which 
was  dried  to  rusk  and  coarsely  ground  at  the  flouring  mill, 
the  cattle  were  hitched  to  the  wagons,  and  driving  their  cows 
before  them  they  moved  off  in  the  direction  of  the  star  of 
empire.  It  was  quite  a  different  thing,  this  New  England 
colony,  from  an  ordinary  western  settlement.  Though  emi- 
nently practical,  it  partook  rather  of  the  subjective  and  rational 
element  than  of  the  objective  and  material.  Though  unlike 
their  forefathers  fleeing  from  persecution  —  only  for  more  and 
better  land  than  they  could  find  at  home  would  they  go  — 
they  nevertheless,  with  their  households,  transplanted  their 
opinions  and  their  traditions,  without  abating  one  jot  or  tittle 
of  either.  With  their  ox  teams  and  horse  teams,  with  all  their 
belongings  in  covered  wagons,  these  colonists  came,  bearing 
in  their  bosoms  their  love  of  God,  their  courageous  faith, 
their  stern  morahty,  their  dehght  in  sacrifice ;  talking  of  these 
things  by  the  way,  camping  by  the  road-side  at  night,  resting 
on  the  Sabbath  when  all  the  religious  ordinances  of  the  day 
were  strictly  observed,  consuming  in  the  journey  as  many 
days  as  it  now  occupies  half-hours,  and  all  with  thanksgiving, 
prayer,  and  praise. 

On  reaching  their  destination  our  New  England  emigrants 
camped  on  a  picturesque  bench,  the  rolling  forested  hills  on 
one  side,  and  on  the  other  a  strip  of  timbered  bottom,  through 
which  flowed  a  clear,  quiet  stream.  Arranging  their  wagons 
in  the  way  best  suited  for  convenience  and  defence,  they 
felled  a  few  of  the  large  maple  and  other  trees  and  began  to 
prepare  material  for  building.  Then  came  the  warm  Sabbath 
morning,  when  no  sound  of  the  axe  was  heard,  but  instead 
the  voice  of  prayer,  never  more  to  be  new  or  strange  among 
these  consecrated  hills.  Houses  were  quickly  erected,  and 
a  church,  Timothy  Hanis  being  the  first  pastor.  Schools 
quickly  followed ;  and  all  thus  far  being  from  one  place,  and 


30  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

of  one  faith,  and  one  morality,  no  time  was  lost  in  sage  dis- 
cussions, so  that  Granville  grew  in  solid  comforts  and  intel- 
ligence, outstripping  the  neighboring  communities,  and  ere 
long  sending  forth  hundreds  of  young  men  and  women  to 
educate  others. 

The  Phelps  family  was  among  the  earliest  to  leave  Vermont 
for  the  Ohio  Granville,  thus  established  by  the  Massachusetts 
men.  Then  came  the  Bancrofts  from  Pennsylvania  and  the 
Howe  family  from  Vermont.  Among  the  first  acts  of  the 
colonists  was  to  mark  out  a  village  and  divide  the  surrounding 
lands  into  hundred-acre  farms.  Now  it  so  happened  that  the 
farms  of  Azariah  Bancroft  and  Curtis  Howe  adjoined.  Both 
of  these  settlers  were  blessed  with  numerous  children;  my 
father  was  one  of  eleven,  four  boys  and  five  girls  reaching 
maturity.  It  was  not  the  custom  in  that  slow  age  for  parents 
to  shirk  their  responsibility.  Luxury,  pleasure,  ease,  had  not 
yet  usurped  the  place  of  children  in  the  mother's  breast ;  and 
as  for  strength  to  bear  them,  it  was  deemed  disgraceful  in  a 
woman  to  be  weak  who  could  not  show  just  cause  for  her 
infirmity.  As  I  have  said  before,  work  was  the  order  of  the 
day — work,  by  which  means  alone  men  can  be  men,  or 
women  women ;  by  which  means  alone  there  can  be  culture, 
development,  or  a  human  species  fit  to  live  on  this  earth. 
Men  and  women,  and  boys  and  girls,  all  worked  in  those 
days,  worked  physically,  mentally,  and  morally,  and  so 
strengthened  hand,  and  head,  and  heart.  Thus  working  in 
the  kitchen,  field,  and  barn-yard,  making  hay  and  milking 
cows,  reaping,  threshing,  spinning,  weaving,  Ashley  Bancroft 
and  Lucy  Howe  grew  up,  the  one  a  lusty,  sinewy,  dark-eyed 
youth,  the  other  a  bright,  merry  maiden,  with  golden  hair, 
and  the  sweetest  smile  a  girl  ever  had,  and  the  softest,  purest 
eyes  that  ever  let  sunlight  into  a  soul.  And  in  due  time  they 
were  married,  and  had  a  hundred-acre  farm  of  their  own ;  had 
cattle,  and  barn,  and  farm  implements,  and  a  substantial  two- 
story  stone  house,  with  a  bright  tin  roof;  and  soon  there  were 
six  children  in  it,  of  whom  I  was  the  fourth.  And  all  these 
comforts  were  paid  for,  all  save  the  children,  for  Avhich  debt 


SPRINGS    AND    LITTLE    BROOKS.  31 

the  parents  ceased  not  to  make  acknowledgments  to  Al- 
mighty God  morning  and  evening  to  the  end. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  February,  1872,  at  my  house  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, my  parents  celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  probably 
the  most  joyous  event  of  their  long  and  happy  lives.  Two 
of  my  father's  brothers  have  likewise  celebrated  their  golden 
weddings,  one  before  this  date  and  one  afterward.  While  I 
am  now  writing,  my  father  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  is  talking 
with  my  children,  Paul,  Griffing,  Philip,  and  Lucy,  aged  six, 
four,  two,  and  one,  respectively,  telling  them  of  things  hap- 
pening when  he  was  a  boy,  which,  were  it  possible  for  them 
to  remember  and  tell  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  to  their  grand- 
children, would  be  indeed  a  collating  of  the  family  book  of 
life  almost  in  century-pages. 

Thus  it  happened  that  I  was  born  in  an  atmosphere  of 
invigorating  puritanism,  such  as  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  in  these 
days  of  material  progress  and  transcendental  speculation. 
This  atmosphere,  however,  was  not  without  its  fogs.  Planted 
in  this  western  New  England  oasis,  side  by  side  with  the 
piety  and  principles  of  the  old  Plymouth  colony,  and  indeed 
one  with  them,  were  all  the  antis  and  isms  that  ever  con- 
founded Satan — Calvinism,  Lutheranism,  Knoxism,and  Huss- 
ism,  pure  and  unadulterated  ;  abolitionism,  once  accounted  a 
disgrace,  later  the  nation's  proudest  honor:  anti-rum,  anti- 
tobacco,  anti  tea  and  coftee,  anti  sugar  and  cotton  if  the  en- 
slaved black  man  grew  them,  and  anti-sensualism  of  every 
kind,  opposition  even  to  comforts  if  they  bordered  on  luxury. 
Multitudinous  meetings  and  reforms  were  going  on,  whether 
wise  or  unwise,  whether  there  was  anything  to  meet  for  or  to 
reform,  or  not.  As  my  mother  used  to  say,  "  to  be  good  and 
to  do  good  should  constitute  the  aim  and  end  of  every  life." 
Children  particularly  should  be  reformed^  and  that  right 
early  ;  and  so  Saturday  night  was  "  kept,"  preparatory  to  the 
Sabbath,  on  which  day  three  meetings  were  always  held, 
besides  a  Sunday-school  and  a  prayer-meeting,  the  intervals 
being  filled  with  Saturday-cooked  repasts,  catechism,  and 
Sunday  readings. 


32  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Preparations  were  made  for  the  Sabbath  as  for  a  solemn 
festival.  The  garden  was  put  in  order,  and  the  sheep  and 
Idne  were  driven  to  their  quiet  quarters.  The  house  was 
scrubbed,  and  in  the  winter  fuel  prepared  the  day  before. 
All  picture-books  and  scraps  of  secular  reading  which  might 
catch  the  eye  and  offend  the  imagination  were  thrust  into  a 
closet,  and  on  the  table  in  their  stead  were  placed  the  Bible, 
MejHoirs  of  Payson,  and  Baxter'' s  Saints'  Rest.  The  morn- 
ing of  the  holy  day  crept  silently  in ;  even  nature  seemed 
subdued.  The  birds  sang  softer;  the  inmates  of  the  farm- 
yard put  on  their  best  behavior;  only  the  sun  dared  show 
himself  in  his  accustomed  character.  Prayers  and  breakfast 
over,  cleanly  frocked,  through  still  streets  and  past  closed 
doors  each  member  of  the  household  walked  with  downcast 
eyes  to  church. 

Often  have  I  heard  latter-day  progressive  fathers  say : 
"  For  myself,  I  care  not  for  dogmas  and  creeds,  but  something 
of  the  kind  is  necessary  for  women  and  children ;  society 
else  would  fall  in  pieces."  Without  subscribing  to  such  a 
sentiment,  I  may  safely  say  that  from  my  heart  I  thank  God 
for  strict  religious  training;  and  I  thank  him  most  of  all  for 
emancipation  from  it.  It  is  good  to  be  born  in  a  hotbed  of 
sectarianism ;  it  is  better,  at  some  later  time,  to  escape  it. 

Excess  of  any  kind  is  sure,  sooner  or  later,  to  defeat  its 
own  ends.  Take  for  instance,  the  meetings  inflicted  on  the 
society  into  which  destiny  had  projected  me.  There  were 
pulpit  meetings,  conference  meetings,  missionary  meetings, 
temperance  meetings,  mothers'  meetings,  young  men's  meet- 
ings, Sunday-school  meetings,  inquiry  meetings,  moral-reform 
meetings,  ministers'  meetings,  sunrise  and  sunset  meetings, 
anti-slavery  meetings  —  these  for  the  ordinary  ministrations, 
with  extra  impromptu  meetings  on  special  occasions,  and  all 
intermingled  with  frequent  and  fervid  revivals.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  the  young  men  of  Granville  were  noted  in 
all  that  region  for  their  wickedness.  Home  influence  and  the 
quiet  but  effectual  teachings  of  example  were  overshadowed 
by  public  exhortations  to  piety.     The  tender  plant  was  so 


SPRINGS   AND   LITTLE    BROOKS.  33 

watered,  and  digged  about,  and  fertilized,  that  natural  and 
healthy  growth  was  impeded.  A  distaste  for  theological  dis- 
course was  early  formed,  arising,  not  from  a  distaste  for  relig- 
ion, nor  from  special  inherent  badness,  but  from  the  endless 
unwholesome  restraints  thrown  upon  youthful  unfoldings, 
which  led  in  many  instances  to  the  saddest  results. 

It  is  not  to'  be  wondered  at  that,  after  such  an  excess  of 
piety  and  exalted  contemplation,  to  the  young  elastic  mind  an 
interview  with  the  devil  was  most  refreshing ;  and  as  these 
boys  were  taught  that  in  tobacco,  small-beer,  and  the  painted 
cards  that  players  used,  he  lurked,  there  the  pious  urchins 
sought  him.  Clubs  were  formed  and  meetings  held  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  proficiency  in  these  accomplishments. 
Often  after  leaving  our  "inquiry"  meeting  —  that  is  to  say,  a 
place  vv'here  young  folks  met  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of 
inquiring  what  they  should  do  to  be  saved  —  have  I  gone 
home  and  to  bed;  then  later,  up  and  dressed,  in  company 
with  my  comrades  I  would  resort  to  a  cellar,  garret,  or  bam, 
with  tallow  candle,  cent  cigars,  and  a  pack  of  well-worn,  greasy 
playing-cards,  and  there  hold  sweet  communion  with  infernal 
powers ;  in  consequence  of  which  enthusiasm  one  barn  was 
burned  and  several  others  narrowly  escaped  burning.  Strange 
to  say,  later  in  life,  as  soon  as  I  learned  how  playing-cards 
were  made,  and  that  no  satanic  influences  were  employed  in 
their  construction  or  use,  they  ceased  to  have  any  fascination 
for  me. 

Nevertheless,  I  say  it  is  better  to  be  righteous  overmuch 
than  to  be  incorrigibly  wicked.  And  so  the  puritans  of 
Granville  thought  as  they  enlarged  their  meeting-houses,  and 
erected  huge  seminaries  of  learning,  and  called  upon  the 
benighted  from  all  parts  to  come  in  and  be  told  the  truth. 
Likewise  they  comforted  the  colored  race. 

The  most  brilliant  exploit  of  my  life  was  performed  at  the 
tender  age  of  eleven,  when  I  spent  a  whole  night  in  driving 
a  two-horse  wagon  load  of  runaway  slaves  on  their  way  from 
Kentucky  and  slavery  to  Canada  and  freedom  —  an  exploit 
which  was  regarded  in  those  days  by  that  community  with 
3 


34  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

little  less  approbation  than  that  bestowed  by  a  fond  Apache 
mother  upon  the  son  who  brandishes  before  her  his  first  scalp. 
The  ebony  cargo  consisted  of  three  men  and  two  women, 
who  had  been  brought  into  town  the  night  before  by  some 
teamster  of  kindred  mind  to  my  father's,  and  kept  snugly 
stowed  away  from  prying  eyes  during  the  day.  'About  nine 
o'clock  at  night  the  large  lumber-box  wagon  filled  with  straw 
was  brought  out,  and  the  black  dissenters  from  the  American 
constitution,  who  so  lightly  esteemed  our  glorious  land  of 
freedom,  were  packed  under  the  straw,  and  some  blankets 
and  sacks  thrown  carelessly  over  them,  so  that  outwardly 
there  might  be  no  significance  of  the  dark  and  hidden  mean- 
ing of  the  load.  My  careful  mother  bundled  me  in  coats  and 
scarfs,  to  keep  me  from  freezing,  and  with  a  round  of  good- 
bys,  given  not  without  some  apprehensions  for  my  safety,  and 
with  minute  instructions,  repeated  many  times  lest  I  should 
forget  them,  I  climbed  to  my  seat,  took  the  reins,  and  drove 
slowly  out  of  town.  Once  or  twice  I  was  hailed  by  some 
curious  passer-by  with, "  What  have  you  got  there  ?  "  to  which 
I  made  answer  as  in  such  case  had  been  provided.  This  was 
the  first  time  in  my  life  I  had  ever  attempted  to  keep  my  eyes 
open  all  night,  and  more  than  once,  as  my  horses  jogged 
along,  I  was  brought  to  my  senses  by  a  jolt,  and  Avithout  any 
definite  idea  of  the  character  of  the  road  for  some  distance 
back.  My  freight  behaved  very  well ;  once  fairly  out  in  the 
country,  and  into  the  night,  the  negroes  straightened  up, 
grinned,  and  appeared  to  enjoy  the  performance  hugely. 
During  the  night  they  would  frequently  get  out  and  walk, 
always  taking  care  to  keep  carefully  covered  in  passing 
through  a  town.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  I 
entered  a  village  and  drove  up  to  the  house  whither  I  had 
been  directed,  roused  the  inmates,  and  transferred  to  them 
my  load.     Then  I  drove  back,  sleepy  but  happy. 

Once  my  father's  barn  was  selected  as  the  most  available 
place  for  holding  a  grand  abolition  meeting,  the  first  anni- 
versary of  the  Ohio  State  Anti-Slavery  Society,  Rotten  eggs 
flew  about  the  heads  of  tlie  speakers,  but  they  suffered  no 


SPRINGS   AND   LITTLE   BROOKS.  35 

serious  inconvenience  from  them  until  after  the  meeting  was 
over  and  they  had  begun  their  homeward  journey.  Beyond 
the  precincts  of  the  village  they  were  met  by  a  mob,  and 
although  spurring  their  horses  they  did  not  escape  until  the 
foul  flood  had  drenched  them.  Those  were  happy  days, 
when  there  was  something  to  suffer  for;  now  that  the  slavery 
monster  is  dead,  and  the  slayers  have  well-nigh  spent  their 
strength  kicking  the  carcass,  there  is  no  help  for  reformers 
but  to  run  off  into  woman's  rights,  free-love,  and  a  new 
string  of  petty  isms  which  should  put  them  to  the  blush  after 
their  doughty  deeds. 

I  cannot  say  that  my  childhood  v/as  particularly  happy; 
or,  if  it  was,  its  sorrows  are  deeper  graven  on  my  memory 
than  its  joys.  The  fault,  if  fate  be  fault,  was  not  my  parents', 
who  were  always  most  kind  to  me.  Excessive  sensitive- 
ness has  ever  been  my  curse;  since  my  earliest  recollec- 
tions I  have  suffered  from  this  defect  more  than  I  can  tell, 
and  my  peace  of  mind  has  ever  been  in  hands  other  than 
my  own. 

My  boyhood  was  spent  in  v/orking  during  the  summer, 
and  in  winter  attending  school,  where  I  progressed  so  far  as 
to  obtain  a  smattering  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and  some  insight 
into  the  higher  mathematics.  No  sooner  had  my  father 
placed  in  a  forward  state  of  cultivation  his  hundred  acres, 
and  built  him  a  large  and  comfortable  stone  house — which 
he  did  with  his  own  hands,  quarrying  the  blocks  from  a  hill 
near  by — and  cleared  the  place  from  debt,  than,  seized  by 
the  spirit  of  unrest,  he  sold  his  pleasant  home  and  moved  his 
family  to  the  ague  swamps  of  New  Madrid,  Missouri,  where 
rich  land,  next  to  nothing  in  price,  with  little  cultivation 
would  yield  enormous  returns,  worth  next  to  nothing  when 
harvested,  through  lack  of  any  market. 

After  three  years  of  ague  and  earthquake  agitations  in  that 
land  of  opossums  and  persimmons,  fearing  lest  the  very  flesh 
would  be  shaken  from  our  bones,  we  all  packed  ourselves 
back,  and  began  once  more  where  we  left  off,  but  minus  the 
comfortable  stone  house  and  farm. 


36  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

Lovely  little  Granville !  dear,  quiet  home-nook ;  lovely  in 
thy  summer  smiles  and  winter  frowns ;  lovely,  decked  in  danc- 
ing light  and  dew  pearls,  or  in  night's  star-studded  robe  of 
sleep.  Under  the  soft  sky  of  summer  we  ploughed  and 
planted,  made  hay,  and  harvested  the  grain.  Winter  was  the 
time  for  study,  while  nature,  wrapped  in  her  cold  covering, 
lay  at  rest.  Fun  and  frolic  were  also  abroad  on  those  soft 
silvery  nights,  when  the  moon  played  between  the  brilliant 
sky  and  glistening  snow,  and  the  crisp  air  earned  far  over  the 
hills  the  sound  of  bells  and  merry  laughter.  Then  winter 
warms  into  spring,  that  sun-spirit  which  chases  away  the  snow, 
and  swells  the  buds,  and  fills  the  air  with  the  melody  of  birds, 
and  scatters  fragrance  over  the  breathing  earth ;  and  spring 
melts  into  summer,  and  summer  sighs  her  autumn  exit  — 
autumn,  loved  by  many  as  the  sweetest,  saddest  time  of  the 
year,  when  the  husbandman,  after  laying  up  his  winter  store, 
considers  for  a  moment  his  past  and  future,  when  the  squirrel 
heaps  its  nest  with  nuts,  and  the  cries  of  birds  of  passage  in 
long  angular  processions  are  heard  high  in  air,  and  the  half- 
denuded  forest  is  tinged  with  the  hectic  flush  of  dying  fohage. 

I  well  remember,  on  returning  from  my  absence,  with 
what  envy  and  dislike  I  regarded  as  interlopers  those  who 
then  occupied  my  childhood  home ;  and,  child  as  I  was,  the 
earliest  and  most  determined  ambition  of  my  life  was  to  work 
and  earn  the  money  to  buy  back  the  old  stone  house.  Ah 
God !  how  with  sv/elling  heart,  and  flushed  cheek,  and  brain 
on  fire,  I  have  later  tramped  again  that  ground,  the  ground 
my  boyhood  trod ;  how  I  have  skirted  it  about,  and  wan- 
dered through  its  woods,  and  nestled  in  its  hedges,  listening 
to  the  rustling  leaves  and  still  forest  murmurings  that  seemed 
to  tell  me  of  the  past ;  uncovering  my  head  to  the  proud 
old  elms  that  nodded  to  me  as  I  passed,  and  gazing  at  the 
wild-flowers  that  looked  uj)  into  my  face  and  smiled  as  I 
trod  them,  even  as  time  had  trodden  my  young  heart ;  whis- 
pering to  the  birds  that  stared  strangely  at  me  and  would 
not  talk  to  mc  —  none  save  the  bickering  blackbird,  and  the 
distant  turtle-dove  to  whose  mournful  tone  my  breast  was 


SPRINGS   AND    LITTLE    BROOKS.  37 

tuned;  watching  in  the  httle  stream  the  minnows  that  I 
used  to  fancy  waited  for  me  to  come  and  feed  them ;  loit- 
ering under  the  golden-sweet  apple-tree  where  I  used  to  loll 
my  study  hours  away ;  eying  the  ill-looking  beasts  that  oc- 
cupied the  places  of  my  pets,  while  at  every  step  some  famil- 
iar object  would  send  a  thousand  sad  memories  tugging  at 
my  heartstrings,  and  call  up  scenes  happening  a  few  years 
back  but  acted  seemingly  ages  ago,  until  I  felt  myself  as  old 
as  Abraham.  There  was  the  orchard,  celestial  white  and 
fragrant  in  its  blossoms,  whose  every  tree  I  could  tell,  and 
the  fruit  that  grew  on  it ;  the  meadow,  through  whose  brist- 
ling stubble  my  naked  feet  had  picked  their  way  when  carry- 
ing water  to  the  haymakers  and  fighting  bumblebees;  the 
cornfield,  where  I  had  ridden  the  horse  to  plough  ;  the  barn- 
yard, where  from  the  backs  of  untrained  colts  I  had  en- 
countered so  many  falls;  the  hillock,  down  Avhich  I  had 
been  tumbled  by  my  pet  lamb,  aftenvard  sacrificed  and 
eaten  for  its  sins — eaten  unadvisedly  by  the  youthful  feast- 
ers,  lest  the  morsels  should  choke  them.  There  was  the 
garden  I  had  been  made  to  weed,  the  well  at  which  I  had 
so  often  drunk,  the  barn  where  I  used  to  search  for  eggs, 
turn  somersets,  and  make  such  fearful  leaps  upon  the  hay ; 
there  were  the  sheds,  and  yards,  and  porches ;  every  fence, 
and  shrub,  and  stone  stood  there,  the  cause  of  a  thousand 
heart-throbs. 

From  the  grassy  field  where  stood  conspicuous  the  stone- 
quarry,  how  often  have  I  driven  the  cows  along  the  base 
of  the  wooded  hill  separating  my  father's  farm  from  the  vil- 
lage, to  the  distant  pasture  where  the  long  blue-eyed  grass 
was  mixed  with  clover,  and  sprinkled  with  buttercups,  and 
dotted  with  solitary  elms  on  whose  limbs  the  crows  and 
blackbirds  quarrelled  for  a  place.  And  under  the  beech- 
trees  beneath  the  hill  where  wound  my  path,  as  my  bare 
feet  trudged  along,  how  boyish  fancies  played  through  my 
brain  while  I  was  all  unconscious  of  the  great  world  beyond 
my  homely  horizon.  On  the  bended  bough  of  that  old  oak, 
planted  long  before  I  was  bom,  and  which  these  many  years 


434608 


38  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

has  furnished  the  winter's  store  and  storehouse  to  the  thrifty 
woodpecker,  there  sits  the  robin  where  sat  his  father,  and 
his  father's  father,  singing  the  self-same  song  his  grandfather 
sang  when  he  wooed  his  mate,  singing  the  self-same  song 
his  sons  and  his  sons'  sons  shall  sing. 

Sweet  were  those  days,  clouded  perhaps  a  little  with  boy- 
ish melancholy,  and  now  brought  to  my  remembrance  by 
the  play  of  sunshine  and  shadow  in  and  round  familiar 
nooks,  by  the  leafy  woodbine  under  the  garden  wall,  by 
the  sparkling  dewy  grass-blades  and  the  odor  of  the  breath- 
ing woods,  by  the  crab-appletree  hedge,  covered  with  grape- 
vines, and  bordered  with  blackberry  bushes,  and  inclosing 
the  several  fields,  each  shedding  its  own  peculiar  fragrance ; 
by  the  row  of  poplars  lining  the  road  in  front  of  the  house, 
by  the  willows  drinking  at  the. brook,  the  buckeyes  on  the 
hill,  and  the  chestnut,  hickory,  butternut,  and  walnut  trees, 
whose  fruit  I  gathered  every  autumn,  storing  it  in  the  garret, 
and  cracking  it  on  Sundays  after  sunset,  as  a  reward  for 
"keeping"  Saturday  night. 

There  is  something  delicious  in  the  air,  though  the  ground 
be  wet  and  the  sky  murky ;  it  is  the  air  in  which  I  first  cried 
and  laughed.  There,  upon  the  abruptly  sloping  brow  of  the 
hill  yonder,  is  where  I  buried  myself  beneath  a  load  of  wood, 
overturned  from  a  large  two-horse  sled  into  the  snow.  And 
in  that  strip  of  thicket  to  the  right  I  used  to  hide  from  thun- 
der-showers on  my  way  from  school.  Behind  that  stone  wall 
many  a  time  have  I  crept  up  and  frightened  chanticleer  in 
the  midst  of  his  crow,  raising  his  wrath  by  breaking  his  tune, 
and  thereby  instigating  him  to  thrice  as  loud  and  thrice  as 
long  a  note  the  moment  my  back  was  turned.  Near  by  was 
tlie  grove  of  sugar-maple,  to  me  a  vast  and  trackless  forest 
infested  with  huge  reptiles  and  ravenous  beasts,  when  there 
I  slept  all  niglit  by  the  camp-fire  boiling  the  unsubstan- 
tial sap  to  sweeter  consistency.  Away  across  a  four-acre 
lot  still  stands  the  little  old  bridge  wherefrom  I  fished  for 
minnows  in  the  brook  it  spans,  with  pork-baited  i)ins  for 
liooks. 


SPRINGS   AND    LITTLE    BROOKS.  39 

There  is  something  painfully  sweet  in  such  memories. 
How  sorrows  the  heart  over  its  lost  friendships;  how  the 
breath  of  other  days  whispers  of  happiness  never  realized; 
how  the  sorrowful  past  plays  its  exquisite  strains  upon  the 
heartstrings !  Things  long  gone  by,  deemed  httle  then  and 
joyless,  are  magnified  by  the  mists  of  time  and  distance  into 
a  mirage  of  pleasurable  remembrances.  How  an  old  song 
sometimes  stirs  the  whole  reservoir  of  regrets,  and  makes  the 
present  well-nigh  unbearable !  Out  of  my  most  miserable  past 
I  draw  the  deepest  pain  pleasures,  beside  which  present  joys 
are  insipid.  There  is  no  sadder  sound  to  the  questioner's 
ear  than  the  church  bell  which  sometime  called  him  to 
believing  prayer.  At  once  it  brings  to  mind  a  thousand  holy 
aspirations,  and  rings  the  death-knell  of  an  eternity  of  joy. 

Like  tiny  tongues  of  pure  flame  darting  upward  amidst  the 
mountain  of  somber  smoke,  there  are  many  bright  memories 
even  among  the  most  melancholy  reveries.  The  unhappiest 
life  contains  many  happy  hours,  just  as  the  most  nauseating 
medicine  is  made  up  of  divers  sweet  ingredients.  Even  there, 
golden  run  life's  golden  sands,  for  into  the  humble  home 
ambition  brings  as  yet  no  curse. 

But  alas !  the  glowing  charm  thrown  over  all  by  the  half- 
heavenly  conceptions  of  childhood  shall  never  be  revived. 
Every  harvesting  now  brings  but  a  new  crop  of  withered 
pleasures,  which  with  the  damask  freshness  of  youth  are  flung 
into  the  storehouse  of  desolation. 

Never  is  there  a  home  like  the  home  of  our  youth ;  never 
such  sunshine  as  that  which  makes  shadows  for  us  to  play 
in,  never  such  air  as  that  which  swells  our  youthful  breasts 
and  gives  our  happy  minds  free  expression,  never  such  water 
as  the  laughing,  dancing  streamlet  in  which  we  wade  through 
silvery  bubblings  over  glittering  pebbles,  never  such  music 
as  the  robin's  roundelay  and  the  swallow's  twittering  that  wake 
us  in  the  morning,  the  tinkling  of  the  cow  bells,  the  rustling 
of  the  vines  over  the  window,  the  chirrup  of  the  cricket,  and 
the  striking  of  the  old  house  clock  that  tells  us  our  task  is 
done.     The  home  of  our  childhood,  once  abandoned,  is  for- 


40  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

ever  lost.  It  may  have  been  a  hut,  standing  on  the  rudest 
patch  of  ground  the  earth  affords,  yet  so  wrapped  round  the 
heart  is  it,  so  charged  with  youthful  image^  is  every  stick 
and  stone  of  it,  that  the  gilded  castle  bililt  in  after  life,  with 
all  the  rare  and  costly  furnishings  that  art  and  ingenuity  can 
afford,  is  but  an  empty  barn  beside  it ! 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   COUNTRY    BOY   BECOMES   A   BOOKSELLER. 

No  man  is  born  into  the  world  whose  work  is  not  born  with  him ; 
there  is  always  work  and  tools  to  work  withal,  for  those  who  will. 

— Lowell. 

CROSSING  a  muddy  street  one  rainy  day  on  her  way  to 
school,  my  eldest  sister,  dark-eyed  and  tender  of  heart, 
encountered  a  sandy-haired  but  by  no  means  ill-looking  youth 
who  made  way  for  her  by  stepping  back  from  the  plank  which 
served  pedestrians.  The  young  man  was  a  member  of  the 
Derby  family  of  booksellers,  afterward  noted  for  their  large 
establishments  in  various  cities.  Of  course  these  two  young 
persons,  thus  thrown  together  on  this  muddy  crossing,  fell  in 
love ;  how  else  could  it  be  ?  and  in  due  time  were  married, 
vowing  thenceforth  to  cross  all  muddy  streets  in  company, 
and  not  from  opposite  directions.  And  in  this  rain,  and 
mud,  and  marriage,  I  find  another  of  the  causes  that  led  me 
to  embark  in  literature.  The  marriage  took  place  in  1845, 
when  I  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  the  happy  couple  made 
their  home  in  Geneva,  New  York,  where  Mr.  Derby  was  then 
doing  business.  Subsequently  he  removed  his  bookstore  and 
family  to  Buffalo. 

On  our  return  from  the  land  of  milk  and  honey,  as  we  at 
first  soberly  and  afterward  ironically  called  our  southern 
prairie  home,  my  father  entered  into  copartnership  with  one 
Wright,  a  tanner  and  farmer.  The  tasks  then  imposed  upon 
me  were  little  calculated  to  give  content  or  yield  profit. 
Mingled  with  my  school  and  Sunday  duties,  interspersed  with 
occasional  holidays  for  shooting,  fishing,  swimming,  skating, 
sleighing,  and  nut  and  beny  gathering,  was  work,  such  as 


42  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

grinding  bark,  sawing  wood,  chopping,  clearing,  fencing, 
milling,  teaming,  ploughing,  planting,  harvesting,  and  the 
like,  wherein  I  could  take  but  little  interest  and  make  no 
progress,  and  which  consequently  I  most  heartily  hated. 

To  my  great  delight,  a  year  or  two  after  the  marriage  of 
my  sister,  I  was  offered  the  choice  of  preparing  for  college  or 
of  entering  the  Buffalo  bookstore.  The  doctrine  was  just 
then  coming  into  vogue  that  in  the  choice  of  a  profession  or 
occupation  youthful  proclivities  should  be  directed,  but  the 
youth  should  not  be  coerced.  This,  within  the  bounds  of 
reason,  is  assuredly  the  correct  idea. 

This  marriage  of  my  sister's  changed  the  course  not  only 
of  my  own  destiny  but  of  that  of  every  member  of  my  family. 
It  was  the  hinge  on  which  the  gate  swung  to  open  a  new 
career  to  all  of  us.  Puritan  Granville  was  a  good  place  to  be 
reared  in,  but  it  was  a  better  place  to  emigrate  from.  It  was 
in  the  world  but  not  of  the  world.  Success  there  would  mean 
a  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  stone  house,  six  children,  an  interest 
in  a  town  store  or  a  grist-mill,  and  a  deaconship  in  the  church. 

But  how  should  I  decide  the  question  before  me  ?  What 
had  I  upon  which  to  base  a  decision  ?  Nothing  but  my  feel- 
ings, my  passions,  and  propensities  —  unsafe  guides  enough 
when  coupled  with  experience,  but  absolutely  dangerous  when 
left  to  shift  for  themselves.  Study  had  always  strong  fasci- 
nations for  me,  and  the  thought  of  sometime  becoming  a  great 
lawyer  or  statesman  set  heart  and  head  in  a  whirl.  I  cannot 
remember  the  time  when  I  could  not  read,  recite  the  cate- 
chism, and  ride  and  drive  a  horse.  I  am  told  that  I  was  quick 
to  learn  when  young,  and  that  at  the  age  of  three  I  could 
read  the  New  Testament  without  having  to  spell  out  many 
of  the  Avords.  If  that  be  true  the  talent  must  have  ended  with 
my  childhood,  for  later  on  taking  up  study  I  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  learn,  and  still  more  difficult  to  remember,  what- 
ever talent  I  may  have  possessed  in  that  direction  having 
been  driven  out  of  me  in  the  tread-mill  of  business. 

One  winter  I  was  sent  to  the  brick  school-house,  a  rusty  red 
monument  of  rusty  red  efforts,  long  since  torn  down.     I'here 


THE    COUNTRY    BOY    BECOMES    A    BOOKSELLER.  43 

presided  over  the  boys  at  one  time  my  mother's  brother.  The 
Howes  engaged  in  school-teaching  naturally,  they  and  their 
children,  boys  and  girls,  without  asking  themselves  why.  The 
family  have  taught  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  in  New 
York,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Nevada,  Oregon,  and  California.  They 
were  good  teachers,  but  they  were  good  for  little  else.  The 
one  who  taught  in  Granville  had  written  a  grammar,  and  all 
the  boys  were  compelled  to  study  it.  It  consisted  chiefly  of 
rules  which  could  not  be  understood,  and  contained  little  of  the 
kind  of  examples  which  remained  fastened  in  the  mind  to  be 
afterward  of  practical  value.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  children 
now  learn  twice  as  much  with  half  the  trouble.  Then  the 
study  of  grammar  under  a  grammar-making  uncle  did  me 
litde  good. 

Those  Howe  grammar  lessons  were  the  curse  of  that  winter. 
Often  I  wept  over  the  useless  and  distasteful  drudgery,  but 
in  vain.  Tears  were  a  small  argument  with  my  parents 
where  they  deemed  duty  to  be  concerned;  and  the  brother 
made  my  mother  believe  that  if  I  failed  in  one  jot  or  tittle  of 
his  grammar  there  would  be  no  hope  for  me  afterward  in  any 
direction.  Mathematics  I  enjoyed.  Stretched  on  the  hearth 
before  a  blazing  fire,  with  book  and  slate,  I  worked  out  my 
problems  during  the  long  evenings,  and  then  took  the  Hov/e 
grammar  lesson  as  I  would  castor-oil. 

My  studies  were  mixed  with  house  and  bam  duties,  such 
as  paring  apples,  pounding  rusk,  feeding  and  milking  the 
cows,  and  scores  of  like  occupations.  Long  before  daylight 
I  would  be  called  from  my  slumber  to  work  and  study,  a 
summons  I  usually  responded  to  with  alacrity.  Then  my 
mother  called  me  good,  and  my  home  life  was  happy.  Soon 
after  breakfast,  with  books,  and  tin  pail  well  stored  with 
luncheon,  I  was  out  into  the  sharp  morning  air  and  over  the 
hill  to  school.  But  still  the  Howe  grammar  hung  over  all 
my  joys  like  a  grim  shadow,  darkening  all  delights.  For,  in 
that  I  did  not  love  the  grammar,  the  Howe  did  not  love  me, 
and  he  made  the  place  exceedingly  uncomfortable,  until 
finally  my  mother  became  satisfied  that  I  was  injudiciously 


44  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

and  unfairly  treated,  and  to  my  great  joy  took  me  from  this 
purgatory. 

I  was  passionately  fond  of  music,  not  so  much  of  listening 
as  performing.  The  intensest  aspirations  of  my  life  seem  to 
have  taken  this  form;  I  longed  to  do  rather  than  to  enjoy. 
Purposeless  pleasure  was  not  pleasant  to  me.  To-day  I  find 
[neither  satisfaction  nor  profit  in  reading  or  writing,  or  doing 
I  anything  for  my  own  personal  enjoyment.  There  must  be 
an  aim,  and  a  high,  immediate,  and  direct  one,  if  in  my 
doing  or  being  I  am  to  find  satisfaction. 

In  the  matter  of  music,  there  was  within  me  something 
which  sighed  for  expression,  and  to  throw  it  off  in  song  or 
through  the  melodies  of  an  instrument  was  the  simplest 
method  of  relief.  This  restless  desire  to  unburden  my  heart 
was  present  in  my  earliest  consciousness.  It  was  ahvays  in 
some  way  stifled  in  my  younger  days.  There  were  schools 
which  I  could  and  did  attend,  but  singing  in  concert  Avith  a 
class  of  boys  and  girls  was  not  what  I  wanted.  By  saving 
up  dimes  and  half-dollars  I  succeeded  in  buying  an  old 
violin.  I  paid  four  dollars  for  it ;  and  I  remember  with 
what  trepidation  I  invested  my  entire  capital  in  the  instru- 
ment. For  several  years  I  scraped  persistently  and  learned 
to  play  badly  a  few  tunes.  I  had  no  teacher  and  no  encour- 
agement; I  was  laughed  at  and  frowned  at,  until  finally  I 
abandoned  it.  Fiddling  in  that  staid  society  was  almost  as 
much  a  sin  as  card-playing ;  for  if  cards  were  for  gamblers, 
fiddles  were  for  dancers,  and  both  were  a  pastime  invented 
by  Satan.  Christ  never  danced ;  and  although  David  did, 
our  minister  used  to  apologize  for  him  by  saying  that  his  was 
a  slow,  measured,  kingly  step,  something  of  a  Shaker  dance — 
at  all  events  nothing  like  the  whirling  embracements  of  these 
later  times. 

To  return  to  the  matter  of  choosing  between  study  and 
business.  Finding  myself  possessed  of  these  and  many  other 
burning  aspirations,  without  stopping  to  count  the  cost,  child- 
like I  struck  at  once  for  the  prize.  If  self-devotion  and  hard 
study  could  win,  it  should  be  mine.     So  I  chose  the  life  of  a 


THE    COUNTRY    BOY    BECOMES    A    BOOKSELLER.  45 

student,  and  spent  another  year  in  preparing  for  college. 
There  was  an  academy  as  well  as  a  college  in  the  place ; 
indeed,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  my  native  town  was,  in 
its  way,  quite  a  seat  of  learning. 

It  was  now  the  winter  of  1847-8,  and  bravely  I  set  about 
my  self-imposed  task,  studying  hard,  and  for  a  time  making 
fair  progress.  I  was  still  obliged  to  work  morning  and  even- 
ing, and,  with  now  and  then  a  holiday,  during  the  vacations. 
I  was  much  alone  in  my  studies,  although  I  listened  to  my 
teacher  as  earnestly  as  if  I  had  been  under  competitive 
influence.  My  nearest  and  indeed  almost  the  only  com- 
panion I  had  at  this  time  was  my  cousin  Edgar  Hillyer, 
afterward  United  States  judge  for  Nevada.  In  age  he  was  a 
year  my  senior,  but  in  ability  and  accomplishments  many 
years.  He  was  a  good  student,  apt  in  debate,  well  read  in 
classical  literature,  nimble  on  the  violin,  a  rollicking,  jolly 
companion,  muscular,  active,  and  courageous,  and  could 
hold  his  own  with  the  best  of  them  on  the  play-ground. 
When  viohn-playing  became  fashionable  in  churches  he 
sawed  away  at  a  base-viol  behind  the  church  choir,  read- 
ing a  novel  under  cover  of  his  huge  instrument  during  the 
sermon.  He  was  given  a  little  to  sarcasm  at  times,  which 
cut  me  somewhat ;  otherwise  we  were  true  and  stanch  friends. 
He  it  was  who  aided  and  influenced  me  more  than  any  other 
in  many  things.  In  advance  of  me  in  studies,  he  entered 
college  and  I  was  left  alone.  Still  I  toiled  on,  notwithstand- 
ing occasional  letters  from  Buffalo  which  tended  to  unsettle 
my  plans.  Before  the  time  for  entering  college  arrived  I 
had  lost  something  of  my  interest  in  study :  without  the 
stimulus  of  sympathizing  friends  and  competition,  the  unfed 
fire  of  my  ambition  died  away. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Derby,  who  was  an  enthusiast  in  his  busi- 
ness, had  made  occasional  visits  to  my  father's  house,  and 
in  hstening  to  his  conversation  I  became  attracted  toward 
Buffalo.  There  was,  moreover,  in  me  a  growing  desire  for 
independence ;  not  that  I  was  dissatisfied  with  my  home  so 


46  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

much  as  with  myself.  I  longed  to  be  doing  something  that 
would  show  results;  I  wanted  to  be  a  man,  to  be  a  great 
man,  to  be  a  man  at  once.  The  road  to  learning  was  slow 
and  hard;  besides,  my  father  was  not  rich,  and  although 
ready  to  deny  himself  anything  for  me,  I  could  see  that  to 
continue  my  plan  of  study  would  be  a  heavy  tax  on  him. 
Yet  I  loved  it,  and,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  left  it  here  only 
to  take  it  up  at  a  future  time.  Now  I  wanted  money,  I  felt 
the  need  of  money,  and  I  determined  to  have  money.  Not 
to  hug  and  hoard,  not  to  love  and  cherish  as  a  thing  admira- 
ble in  itself,  not  as  a  master  to  bid  me  fetch  and  carry  all  my 
days,  nor  as  a  god  to  fall  before  and  worship,  sealing  the  heart 
from  human  sympathy,  but  as  a  servant  to  do  my  bidding,  as 
an  Aladdin  lamp  to  buy  me  independence,  leisure,  culture. 

Thus  unsettled  in  my  mind  by  the  allurements  of  active 
business  and  city  life,  my  attention  distracted  from  studies, 
discontented  in  the  thought  of  plodding  a  poverty-stricken 
path  to  fame,  and  unwilling  to  burden  my  father  for  a  term 
of  years,  I  asked  and  obtained  leave  to  enter  the  shop ;  selling 
books,  for  the  nonce,  offering  stronger  attractions  than  study- 
ing them.  Nor  am  I  now  disposed  to  regret  my  final  decis- 
ion. Commercial  and  industrial  training  offers  advantages 
in  the  formation  of  mind,  as  well  as  scientific  and  literary 
training.  School  is  but  a  mental  gymnasium.  Little  is  there 
learned  except  the  learning  how  to  learn;  and  the  system 
that  aims  at  this  gymnastic  exercise  of  mind,  rather  than 
cramming,  is  the  best.  He  who  studies  most  does  not  always 
learn  most,  nor  is  he  who  reads  most  always  the  best  read. 
Understanding,  and  not  cramming,  is  education.  Learn  how 
to  form  opinions  of  your  own  rather  than  fill  your  head  with 
the  opinions  of  others. 

About  the  ist  of  August,  1848,  I  left  Granville  for  Buffalo, 
where  I  arrived  on  the  9th.  I  was  now  sixteen  years  of  age, 
and  this  may  be  regarded  as  my  starting  out  in  life.  Then 
I  left  my  father's  house,  and  ever  since  have  I  been  my  own 
master,  and  made  my  own  way  in  tlic  world.     There  was  no 


THE  COUNTRY  BOY  BECOMES  A  BOOKSELLER.     47 

railway  from  my  native  town,  and  my  journey  was  made  in 
a  canal-boat  as  far  as  Cleveland,  and  thence  by  steamboat 
over  Lake  Erie  to  Buffalo.  The  captain  of  the  canal-boat 
was  a  brother  of  my  Uncle  Hillyer,  and  permission  was 
given  me  to  ride  on  the  towpath  in  lieu  of  paying  fare.  I 
gladly  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity,  and  took  my  turn 
night  and  day  during  the  whole  journey.  The  day  after  my 
arrival  in  Buffalo  I  was  permitted  a  view  of  the  bookseller's 
shop.  It  would  not  be  regarded  as  much  of  a  store  nowa- 
days, but  it  was  the  largest  establishment  I  had  ever  seen, 
and  the,  to  me,  huge  piles  of  literature,  the  endless  ranges  of 
book-shelves,  the  hurrying  clerks,  the  austere  accountants, 
the  lord  paramount  proprietor,  all  filled  me  with  awe  not  un- 
accompanied by  heart-sinkings.  A  day  or  so  was  spent  in 
looking  about  the  city,  accompanying  my  sister  to  the  market, 
and  attending  a  great  poHtical  convention  which  was  then  in 
full  blast.  On  the  Monday  foUoAnng  my  arrival  I  was  put 
to  work  in  the  bindery  over  the  counting-room,  and  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  the  book  business  by  folding  and  stitch- 
ing reports  of  the  aforesaid  convention.  There  I  was  kept, 
living  with  my  sister,  and  undergoing  in  the  shop  a  vast 
amount  of  unpalatable  though  doubtless  very  necessary  train- 
ing, till  the  following  October,  when  the  bindery  was  sold. 
I  was  then  left  for  a  time  in  an  uncertain,  purposeless  state, 
with  nothing  in  particular  to  occupy  me.  After  being  given 
plainly  to  understand  by  my  brother-in-law  that  my  pres- 
ence was  not  at  all  necessary  to  his  happiness,  I  was  finally 
thrust  into  the  counting-house  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  as 
the  best  means  of  getting  rid  of  me. 

The  fact  is,  I  was  more  ambitious  than  amiable,  and  my 
brother-in-law  was  more  arbitrary  than  agreeable.  I  was 
stubborn  and  headstrong,  impatient  under  correction,  chafing 
over  every  rub  against  my  country  angularities ;  he  distant, 
unsympathizing,  and  injudicious  in  his  management  of  me. 
I  felt  that  I  was  not  understood,  and  saw  no  way  of  making 
myself  kno\\Ti  to  him.  Any  attempt  to  advance  or  to  rise 
above  the  position  first  assigned  me  was  frowned  down ;  not 


48  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

because  he  hated,  or  wished  to  injure,  or  persecute  me,  but 
because  he  thought  boys  should  not  be  presumptuous,  that 
they  should  be  kept  in  the  background — especially  pale, 
thin,  thoughtful,  supersensitive  brothers-in-law. 

For  some  six  months  I  held  this  anomalous  position,  till 
one  day  the  chief  bookkeeper  intimated  to  me  that,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  head  of  the  house,  nature  had  never  designed 
me  for  a  bookseller  —  a  species  of  divinity  in  the  eyes  of 
these  men  born  but  not  made  —  and  that  should  I  retire 
from  active  duty  no  one  about  the  premises  would  be  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow.  In  plain  English,  I  was  discharged. 
The  blood  which  mantled  my  face  under  a  sense  of  what  I 
deemed  indignity  and  wrong  was  my  only  response ;  yet  in 
my  heart  I  was  glad.  I  saw  that  this  was  no  place  for  me, 
that  my  young  hfe  was  being  turned  to  wormwood,  and  that 
my  bosom  was  becoming  a  hell  of  hatefulness. 

I  have  never  in  my  life,  before  that  time  or  since,  enter- 
tained a  doubt  of  reasonable  success  in  any  reasonable  under- 
taking. I  now  determined  to  start  in  business  on  my  own 
account.  Since  I  could  not  work  for  the  Buffalo  booksell- 
ing people,  I  would  work  for  myself.  I  was  entirely  without 
money,  having  received  nothing  for  my  services  —  which  in- 
deed were  worth  nothing  —  yet  I  borrowed  enough  to  take 
me  back  to  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Derby,  it  appears,  had  sufficient 
confidence  to  trust  me  for  a  few  cases  of  goods.  Shipping 
my  stock  up  the  lake  to  Sandusky,  and  thence  by  rail  to 
Mansfield,  the  terminus  of  the  road,  I  hurried  on  to  Granville 
for  a  horse  and  wagon,  with  which  I  proceeded  back  to 
Mansfield,  loaded  up,  and  began  distributing  my  goods 
among  the  country  merchants  of  that  vicinity.  For  about 
four  months  I  traveled  in  this  manner  over  different  parts  of 
my  native  State,  selling,  remitting,  and  ordering  more  goods, 
and  succeeding  in  the  main  very  well ;  that  is  to  say,  I  paid 
my  expenses,  and  all  the  obligations  I  had  before  contracted, 
and  had  enough  left  to  buy  a  silver  watch,  and  a  suit  of  black 
broadcloth.  Never  was  watch  like  that  watch,  fruit  as  it  was 
of  my  first  commercial  earnings. 


THE    COUNTRY    BOY    BECOMES   A   BOOKSELLER.  49 

Winter  approaching,  I  sold  out  my  stock,  paid  my  debts, 
and  went  home.  Owing  to  my  success,  it  seems,  I  had  risen 
somewhat  in  the  estimation  of  the  Buffalo  book  magnates, 
and  just  as  my  mind  was  made  up  to  enter  school  for  the 
winter  I  was  summoned  back  to  Buffalo,  with  instructions  to 
bring  my  youngest  sister,  Mary,  afterward  INIrs.  Trevett.  We 
embarked  at  Sandusky,  encountering  the  first  night  out  a 
storm,  and  after  beating  about  among  the  short  jerky  waves 
of  the  lake  for  two  days,  we  reached  Buffalo  on  the  8th  of 
December,  1849.  This  time  I  was  to  enter  the  store  as  a 
recognized  clerk,  and  was  to  receive  a  salary  of  one  hundred 
dollars  a  year  from  the  first  of  January,  1850. 

I  now  began  to  look  upon  myself  as  quite  a  man.  A  hun- 
dred dollars  was  a  great  deal  of  money ;  I  was  over  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  had  traveled,  had  been  in  business,  and 
was  experienced.  So  I  relaxed  a  Httle  from  puritanical 
ideas  of  propriety.  I  bought  a  high  hat  and  a  cane ;  smoked 
now  and  then  surreptitiously  a  cigar;  a  gaudy  tie  adorned 
my  neck,  and  a  flashy  ring  encircled  my  finger.  I  do  not 
think  I  ever  held  myself  in  higher  estimation  before  or  since ; 
at  no  time  of  my  life  did  I  ever  presume  so  much  on  my 
knowledge,  or,  as  I  imagined,  present  so  fine  an  appearance. 

Soon  I  found  myself  more  in  sympathy  with  my  employer, 
and  felt  that  he  now  began  somewhat  to  understand  me. 
And  here  I  will  pay  my  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memor)^  of 
Mr.  Derby.  He  was  of  unblemished  reputation,  thoroughly 
sound  in  morals,  sincere  in  religion,  honest  in  his  business, 
kind  in  his  family,  warm  and  lovable  in  his  friendships,  patri- 
otic as  a  citizen,  and  liberal,  chivalrous,  and  high-spirited  as 
a  man  and  a  gentleman.  He  was  among  the  best  friends  I 
ever  had  —  he,  and  his  wife,  my  sister.  He  seemed  to  repose 
the  utmost  confidence  in  me,  trusted  me,  a  green  boy,  in  the 
midst  of  the  whirlpool  of  the  Califomian  carnival,  with  prop- 
erty which  he  could  ill  afford  to  lose,  the  risk  being  regarded 
as  little  less  than  madness  on  his  part  by  business  acquaint- 
ances. His  death  I  felt  more  keenly  than  that  of  any  other 
man  who  ever  died.  His  goodness  will  remain  fresh  in  my 
4 


50  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

memory  to  my  dying  day.  Yet,  when  thrown  together  as 
under  our  first  relations — he  the  master,  I  the  boy — our 
dispositions  and  natures  were  strangely  out  of  tune.  He 
held  his  own  pecuHar  views  regarding  the  training  and  treat- 
ment of  relatives.  He  seemed  to  delight  in  tormenting,  in  a 
business  way,  all  who  were  in  any  wise  allied  to  him  by  blood 
or  marriage,  and  the  nearer  the  relationship  the  greater  the 
persecution.  He  was  particularly  severe  with  me;  and  it 
was  only  when  a  younger  brother  of  his  was  with  him,  one 
nearer  to  him  than  I,  and  on  whom  his  merciless  words  were 
showered,  that  I  found  relief  While  but  a  child,  and  before 
I  went  to  Buffalo,  or  had  ever  been  away  from  home,  I  was 
sent  into  the  backwoods  of  Ohio  to  obtain  subscriptions  for 
a  work  on  the  science  of  government.  Of  course  I  made  a 
failure  of  it,  enduring  much  head-sickness  and  heart-sickness 
thereby,  and  was  laughed  to  scorn  as  a  youth  who  would 
never  succeed  at  anything.  My  father,  totally  inexperienced 
in  the  book  business,  but  having  a  little  money  wherewith  to 
make  the  purchase,  was  induced  to  take  a  cargo  of  books 
down  the  Mississippi  river,  which  proved  to  be  another  fail- 
ure and  a  severe  loss. 

With  a  sister  ever  kind  to  me,  and  an  employer  really  desir- 
ous of  advancing  my  best  interests,  the  training  I  underwent 
at  this  period  of  my  life  was  about  as  injudicious  for  an  ambi- 
tious, sensitive  youth  as  could  well  have  been  devised.  Even 
after  my  return  from  Ohio  I  was  at  times  headstrong,  impa- 
tient of  restraint,  impudent,  angry,  and  at  open  war  with  my 
brother-in-law ;  yet  I  was  eager  to  learn,  quick,  and  intelli- 
gent, and  would  gladly  have  worked,  early  and  late,  with 
faithful  and  willing  diligence  in  any  advancing  direction. 
But  it  seemed  that  my  employer  still  considered  it  best  for 
me  to  be  kept  down;  to  be  censured  much  and  never  praised; 
to  have  one  after  another  placed  above  me  whom  I  very  nat- 
urally deemed  no  more  cai)al)le  than  myself  The  consequence 
was  that  during  the  greater  i)art  of  my  stay  in  Buffalo  I  was 
in  a  sullen  state  of  exasperation.  I  was  hateful,  stubborn, 
and  greatly  to  be  blamed,  but  the  discipline  I  received  only 


THE    COUNTRY    BOY    BECOMES    A    BOOKSELLER.  51 

intensified  these  faults,  and  tended  in  no  wise  to  remove  them. 
One  word  of  kindness,  and  I  would  have  followed  this  man 
to  the  death ;  yet  while  he  crucified  me  he  did  not  mean  to 
be  cruel,  and  sometimes  I  was  really  happy  in  his  society.  I 
know  he  was  full  of  generous  feeling  for  me  even  while  I  tried 
him  most;  for  when,  after  leaving  for  CaUfornia,  I  sent  him 
a  letter,  opening  my  heart  as  I  had  never  done  before,  on 
receipt  of  it,  as  my  sister  told  me,  he  threw  himself  upon  the 
sofa  and  wept  like  a  child. 

The  mould  destined  for  me  ill-fitting  my  nature,  which 
would  not  be  melted  for  recasting,  or  even  made  to  assume 
comeliness  by  attrition,  I  fell  into  my  own  ways,  which  were 
very  bad  ways:  tramping  the  streets  at  night  with  jovial 
companions,  indulging  in  midnight  suppers  and  all-night 
dancings.  Lo,  how  the  puritan's  son  has  fallen !  Conscience 
pricked  faithfully  at  first;  but  I  soon  grew  easier  in  mind; 
then  reckless ;  and  finally  neglecting  my  Bible,  my  prayers, 
and  all  those  Sabbath  restraints  which  hold  us  back  from 
rushing  headlong  to  destruction,  I  gave  myself  over  to  hard- 
ness of  heart.  Yet  all  this  time  I  usually  listened  with  enjoy- 
ment and  profit  to  one  sermon  on  Sunday ;  I  also  attended 
lectures  given  by  Park  Benjamin,  G.  P.  R.  James,  John  B. 
Gough,  and  others;  these  and  novel-reading  comprised  my 
intellectual  food. 

Into  that  bookseller's  shop  I  went  with  all  the  untempted 
innocence  of  a  child ;  out  of  it  I  came  with  the  tarnish  of  so- 
called  manly  experience.  There  I  plucked  my  first  forbidden 
fruit  from  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil ;  yet  the 
sense  of  right  remained,  and  that  remorse  which  ever  mixes 
bitter  with  the  sweets  of  sin. 

Every  now  and  then  I  would  turn  over  a  new  leaf;  bravely 
begin  a  diary,  scoring  the  first  page  with  high  resolves,  such 
as  total  abstinence  from  every  species  of  wickedness,  deter- 
mined to  think,  speak,  and  do  no  evil,  to  walk  always  as  be- 
fore the  eye  of  Omniscience,  clean  in  heart,  pure  in  mind, 
and  strong  in  body ;  in  short,  to  be  a  perfect  man  —  which 
sublime  state  of  things,  wrought  up  beyond  human  endur- 


52  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

ance,  would  last  sometimes  for  three  days  or  three  weeks,  and 
end  in  a  collapse.  Sometimes  I  would  keep  my  diary  up 
during  the  year;  then  again  I  would  open  a  blank  book, 
without  fixed  dates,  and  discharge  my  burning  thoughts  into 
it  in  the  hope  of  relief.  No  sooner  had  I  departed  from 
Buffalo  on  my  way  to  California  than  all  desire  left  me  to 
commit  these  foolish  boyish  excesses.  There  was  then  no 
one  to  hoodwink,  no  watchful  eye  to  circumvent;  it  ceased 
to  be  amusing  when  I  was  my  own  master ;  so  when  thrown 
into  the  pandemonium  at  San  Francisco  I  had  not  the  sHght- 
est  inclination  to  make  a  beast  or  a  villain  of  myself. 

But  the  time  thus  lost !  How  have  I  longed  to  live  again 
those  years.  Six  years  of  my  young  life  as  good  as  squan- 
dered, in  some  respects  worse,  for  instead  of  laying  the 
foundation  for  health,  purity,  intellect,  I  was  crushing  my 
God-given  faculties,  damming  the  source  of  high  thoughts 
and  ennobling  affections,  and  sowing  by  Stygian  streams  the 
wild  seeds  of  perdition.  At  the  time  when  of  all  others  the 
plant  needs  judicious  care,  when  the  hard  soil  needs  soften- 
ing, the  ill-favored  branches  pruning,  the  destroyer  steps  in 
and  places  locusts  on  the  leaves  and  worms  about  the  roots. 

How  I  have  longed  to  go  back  and  place  myself  with  a 
riper  experience  under  my  own  tuition,  and  see  what  would 
come  of  it !  How  I  would  gather  in  those  golden  oppor- 
tunities which  were  so  ruthlessly  thrown  away;  how  I  would 
prize  those  hours,  and  days,  and  years  so  flippantly  regarded ; 
how  I  would  cherish  and  cultivate  that  body  and  mind  so 
well-nigh  wrecked  on  the  shoals  of  youthful  folly  !  Why  could 
we  not  have  been  born  old,  and  from  decrepitude  with  learn- 
ing and  wisdom  have  grown  young,  and  so  have  had  the 
benefit  of  our  wealth  of  experience  in  the  enjoyment  of  our 
youth !  It  seems  that  if  I  had  only  known  something  of 
what  life  is  and  the  importance  of  right. living,  I  could  have 
made  almost  anything  of  myself.  So  has  thought  many 
another ;  and  so  thinking,  life  appears  such  a  delusion  —  the 
life  which  to  know  requires  living,  and  which  is  lived  only  to 
know  that  it  is  lost ! 


THE    COUNTRY    BOY    BECOMES    A    BOOKSELLER,  53 

It  was  a  few  months  before  I  left  my  home  for  the  first 
time  that  gold  had  been  discovered  in  California;  but  not 
until  a  year  later  did  the  news  so  overspread  the  country  as 
to  cause  any  excitement  in  the  quiet  town  of  Granville. 
Scarcely  had  I  reached  Buffalo  the  second  time  when  letters 
informed  me  that  my  father  was  thinking  of  going  to  the  new 
El  Dorado.  The  ancient  leaven  of  industry  and  enterprise 
still  worked  in  him,  and  although  far  past  the  average  age 
of  those  who  joined  the  pilgrimage  to  the  golden  shrine,  he 
could  not  resist  the  temptation.  Though  but  little  over  fifty, 
he  was  called  an  old  man  in  those  days  in  California.  By  the 
I  St  of  February  it  was  settled  that  he  would  go,  and  in  March, 
1850,  he  set  sail  from  New  York.  I  had  a  boyish  desire  to 
accompany  him,  but  did  not  think  seriously  of  going  at  the 
time.  I  was  more  absorbed  in  flirtations,  oyster  suppers,  and 
dancing  parties  than  fascinated  by  the  prospect  of  digging  for 
gold. 

Nevertheless  the  wheel  of  my  destiny  was  turning.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1 85 1,  Mr.  Derby  received  a  letter  from  an  uncle  of 
mine,  my  mother's  brother,  then  in  Oregon,  ordering  a  large 
quantity  of  books.  This  demand,  coming  from  a  new  and 
distant  market,  made  quite  an  impression  upon  the  mind  of 
the  ardent  young  bookseller.  Visions  filled  his  brain  of  mam- 
moth warehouses  rising  in  vast  cities  along  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  of  publication  offices  and  manufacturing  establish- 
ments, having  hundreds  of  busy  clerks  and  artisans,  buying, 
making,  and  selling  books,  and  he  would  walk  the  floor  excit- 
edly and  talk  of  these  things  by  the  hour,  until  he  was  well- 
nigh  ready  to  sell  out  a  safe  and  profitable  business,  pack  up, 
and  go  to  California  himself.  These  visions  were  prophetic ; 
and  through  his  instrumentality  one  such  establishment  as  he 
had  dreamed  of  was  planted  in  the  metropolis  of  this  western 
seaboard,  although  he  did  not  live  to  know  of  it. 

My  nearest  companion  at  this  time  was  a  fellow-clerk, 
George  L.  Kenny,  the  son  of  an  Irish  gentleman.  He  had 
come  to  seek  his  fortune  in  America,  and  found  his  way  al- 
most direct  from  the  mother  country  to  the  Buffalo  bookstore, 


54  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

where  he  had  been  engaged  but  a  few  months  when  I  first 
arrived  there.  From  that  day  for  over  a  third  of  a  century 
his  Hfe  and  mine  were  closely  linked.  In  physique  he  was  tall, 
thin,  and  muscular,  somewhat  awkward  in  his  movements, 
with  an  open  countenance,  as  we  used  to  call  his  large  mouth, 
which  in  laughing  he  displayed  to  its  widest  extent.  I  have 
occasion  to  remember  both  the  awkwardness  and  the  strength 
of  my  ancient  comrade ;  for  one  day  in  Buffalo,  "  skylarking," 
as  Ave  termed  it,  with  his  huge  fist  he  placed  my  nasal  organ 
out  of  line,  where  it  ever  after  remained.  In  disposition  and 
character  he  was  generous  almost  to  a  fault ;  affectionate, 
warm-hearted,  and  mild,  though  passionate  and  stubborn 
when  roused;  jovial  and  inspiriting  as  a  companion,  stanch 
and  reliable  as  a  friend,  and  honest  as  a  man.  He  it  was  who 
introduced  me  into  the  mysteries  of  bookselling,  and  other 
and  more  questionable  mysteries,  when  first  I  went  to  Buffalo. 

Mr.  Derby  was  a  man  of  many  ideas.  Though  practical 
and  conservative  in  the  main,  the  fertility  of  his  brain  and 
his  enthusiasm  often  gave  him  little  rest.  Once  seized  with 
the  thought  of  California  in  connection  with  his  business,  he 
could  not  dispossess  his  mind  of  it.  There  it  fastened,  causing 
him  many  a  restless  day  and  sleepless  night.  He  talked  of 
sending  out  one,  then  another,  then  he  thought  he  would  go 
himself;  but  much  of  what  was  said  he  knew  to  be  impracti- 
cable, and  all  the  while  his  ideas  were  dim  and  shadowy. 
Finally  he  talked  more  directly  of  me  as  the  one  to  go  —  why 
I  do  not  know,  unless  it  was  that  I  could  best  be  spared,  and 
also  that  I  had  friends  there,  who,  if  it  should  be  needed, 
might  supply  me  with  money.  Oregon  was  the  point  at  this 
time  talked  of.  I  was  ready  to  go,  but  had  as  yet  no  special 
enthusiasm  for  the  adventure. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Derby  had  sent  three  shipments  of  goods 
to  the  Pacific;  one  small  lot  sold  at  seventy-five  per  cent, 
above  the  invoice,  and  although  the  other  two  were  lost,  one 
by  fire  and  the  other  by  failure  of  the  consignee,  the  success 
was  sufficient  to  excite  great  hopes.     This,  together  with  a 


THE    COUNTRY    BOY    BECOMES   A    BOOKSELLER.  55 

letter  from  my  father  received  toward  the  latter  part  of 
December,  1851,  determined  me  to  go  to  California.  I  was 
anxious  to  have  Mr.  Kenny  accompany  me.  He  would  like 
much  to  go,  he  said,  but  had  not  the  money.  I  urged  him 
to  speak  to  Mr.  Derby  about  it.  He  did  so,  when  our  now 
most  gracious  employer  replied :  "  For  a  long  time  I  have 
been  desirous  of  your  going  to  California ;  only  I  would  not 
propose  it."  He  then  entered  heartily  into  our  plans  and 
opened  the  way  for  both  of  us. 

I  felt  by  no  means  eager  for  gold ;  it  was  rather  boyish  love 
of  adventure  that  prompted  me.  California  was  pictured  in 
my  mind  as  a  nondescript  country  on  the  other  side  of  huge 
mountains,  which  once  overstepped,  with  most  that  I  cared 
for  left  behind,  there  was  little  hope  of  return.  I  was  not  so 
weaned  but  that  I  must  see  my  mother  before  I  departed, 
perhaps  never  to  return;  and  although  it  involved  an  un- 
pleasant and  expensive  journey  over  the  snow  in  the  dead 
of  winter,  I  immediately  performed  it.  Then  bidding  all  a 
long  farewell,  and  calling  on  the  way  upon  Mr.  James  C. 
Derby  of  Auburn,  my  comrade  Kenny  and  I  went  down  to 
New  York,  entered  our  names  at  the  Irving  House,  and  were 
ready  to  embark  by  the  next  steamer. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HAIL   CALIFORNIA  !       ESTO   PERPETUA  ! 
Never  despair  ;  but  if  you  do,  work  in  despair. — Burke. 

A  DETAILED  description  of  an  early  voyage  from  New- 
York  to  Chagres,  across  the  Isthmus  to  Panama,  and 
thence  to  San  Francisco,  belongs  rather  to  the  time  than  to 
the  individual.  During  the  first  fifteen  years  of  my  residence 
on  the  western  coast  I  made  the  passage  between  New  York 
and  San  Francisco  by  way  of  Panama  no  less  than  eleven 
times,  thus  spending  on  the  water  nearly  one  year,  or  what 
would  be  almost  equivalent  to  every  other  Sunday  during 
that  time.  Many  made  the  voyage  twice  or  thrice  as  often, 
and  life  on  the  steamer  was  but  apart  of  California  life.  It  was 
there  the  beginning  was  made ;  it  was  sometimes  the  ending. 
It  was  there  the  angular  eccentricities  were  first  filed  off,  and 
roughly  filed,  as  many  a  soft-bearded  fledgling  experienced. 

In  my  California  Inter  Pocula  I  have  given  a  description  of 
my  first  voyage.  I  have  there  given  it  in  detail,  not  because 
of  anything  particularly  striking,  but  to  show  what  the  voy- 
age in  those  days  was ;  for,  excepting  shipwrecks,  epidemics, 
or  other  special  calamities,  they  were  all  very  much  alike.  I 
shall  not  therefore  repeat  the  narrative  here,  but  merely  say 
that  on  the  24th  of  February,  1852,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Kenny,  I  embarked  at  New  York  on  the  steamer  George  Law, 
bound  for  Habana.  On  reaching  this  port  the  sixth  day,  pas- 
sengers, mails,  and  freight  were  transferred,  with  those  of  the 
steamer  from  New  Orleans,  to  the  Georgia,  which  that  night 
sailed  for  Chagres,  touching  at  Jamaica.  Arrived  at  Chagres 
we  were  sent  to  Aspinwall  to  disembark,  so  that  we  might 
pay  the  fare  over  some  six  or  eight  miles  of  the  Panama  rail- 

s6 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!      ESTO    PERPETUA !  57 

way  just  then  opened  for  that  distance.  After  the  usual  delay- 
on  the  Isthmus  we  went  on  board  the  steamer  Patiamd  the 
1 2th  of  March,  touched  at  several  ports  on  the  Pacific,  and 
reached  San  Francisco  at  twelve  o'clock  the  first  day  of  April. 

When  I  arrived  in  California  John  Bigler  was  governor. 
The  capital  had  just  been  removed  from  Vallejo  to  Sacra- 
mento. In  San  Francisco  the  troubles  with  squatters,  Peter 
Smith  tides,  and  water-lot  frauds  were  attracting  the  chief 
attention.  Portions  of  the  street  were  brilliantly  lighted  from 
the  glare  of  gambling-saloons ;  elsewhere  all  was  thick  dark- 
ness. On  Montgomery  street,  indeed,  lamps  were  posted  by 
the  occupants,  but  there  was  no  system  of  street  lights,  and 
in  the  dark  places  about  the  docks,  in  the  back  streets,  and 
round  the  suburbs,  many  dark  deeds  were  committed.  Crime, 
driven  into  holes  and  hiding-places  by  the  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee of  185 1,  was  beginning  to  show  its  face  again,  but  the 
authorities,  roused  to  a  sense  of  duty  by  the  late  arbitrary 
action  of  the  citizens,  were  more  on  the  alert  than  formerly, 
and  criminals  were  caught  and  punished  with  some  degree 
of  certainty.  Agriculture  was  attracting  more  attention  than 
at  any  previous  time.  Bull  and  bear  fights  at  the  Mission, 
and  the  childhke  game  of  A  B  C  on  Long  wharf,  were  in 
vogue.  Gambling  was  somewhat  on  the  decline ;  but  it  was 
the  day  of  grand  raffles,  grand  auction  sales,  grand  quartz- 
mining  schemes,  and  Biscaccianti  concerts.  Fire  and  flood 
held  alternate  sway  over  the  destinies  of  town  and  country, 
aiding  other  causes  to  accomplish  business  disruptions  and 
failures. 

It  was  the  day  of  long  annual  sessions  of  the  legislature, 
of  fighting  ofiicials,  and  anti-Chinese  meetings — though  con- 
cerning this  last  named  fermentation  the  question  arises. 
When  in  Cahfomia  was  it  not?  The  most  striking  feature 
of  the  town  was  still  the  gambling-houses,  the  more  aristo- 
cratic establishments  being  then  situated  on  the  plaza  and 
Commercial  street,  and  the  lower  dens  principally  on  Long 
wharf.  The  better  class  supported  a  fine  orchestra  of  five 
or  six  wnd  instruments,  while  in  others  a  dissonant  piano 


S8  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

or  violin  gave  the  invitation  to  enter.  The  building  was 
usually  a  mere  shell,  while  the  interior  was  gorgeously  dec- 
orated and  illumined  with  chandehers  presenting  a  mass  of 
ghttering  glass  pendants.  Monte,  faro,  roulette,  lansquenet, 
vingt-et-un,  and  rouge-et-noir  were  the  favorite  games, 
though  many  others  were  played.  During  week-days  these 
places  were  usually  quiet,  but  at  night  and  on  Sundays  the 
jingling  of  coin  and  the  clinking  of  glasses  were  mingled  with 
the  music  of  the  orchestra  in  hellish  harmony.  Above  all 
voices  was  heard  that  of  the  dealer :  "  Make  your  game,  gen- 
tlemen, make  your  game  !  All  down  ?  Make  your  game  ! 
All  down  ?  The  game  is  made !  no  more ;  deuce,  black 
wins." 

Then  followed  the  raking-in  process,  and  the  paying-out, 
after  which  came  a  new  shuffle  and  a  new  deal ;  and  thus 
the  performance  was  repeated  and  the  excitement  kept  up 
throughout  the  fleeting  hours  of  the  night.  Round  the  tables 
sat  beautiful  wom.en  in  rustling  silks  and  flaming  diamonds, 
their  beauty  and  magnificent  attire  contrasting  strangely  with 
the  grizzly  features,  slouched  hats,  and  woollen  shirts  of  their 
victims.  The  license  for  a  single  table  was  fifty  dollars  per 
quarter.  In  some  saloons  were  eight  or  ten  of  these  tables, 
in  others  but  one;  and  there  were  hundreds  of  saloons,  so 
that  the  revenue  to  the  city  was  large.  A  bill  prohibiting 
gambling  was  introduced  in  the  legislature  just  before  I  ar- 
rived, but  it  was  lost  in  the  senate. 

Two  days  and  nights  amid  scenes  like  these  in  San  Fran- 
cisco were  sufficient  to  prepare  the  boyish  mind  for  the  pan- 
demonium of  the  mines.  The  days  were  spent  in  wandering 
about  the  business  parts  of  the  town,  wading  through  muddy 
streets,  and  climbing  sand-hills;  the  nights  in  going  fropi 
one  gaming-house  to  another,  observing  the  crowds  of  peo- 
ple come  and  go,  watching  the  artistic  barkeepers  in  their 
white  coats  mixing  fancy  drinks  and  serving  from  gorgeously 
decorated  and  mirrored  bars  fiery  potations  of  every  kind, 
gazing  in  rapt  bewilderment  upon  the  fortune-turning  table 
with  its  fatal  fascinations,  marking  the  piles  of  money  in- 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!     ESTO    PERPETUA !  59 

crease  and  lessen,  and  the  faces  behind  them  broaden  and 
lengthen,  and  listening  to  the  music  that  mingled  with  the 
chinking  of  gold,  the  rattling  of  glasses,  and  the  voices  of 
rough,  loud-laughing  men.  "  There  are  indeed  but  very- 
few,"  says  Addison,  "  who  know  how  to  be  idle  and  inno- 
cent." Two  days  and  nights  of  this ;  then  from  Long  wharf 
we  boarded  a  steamboat  and  went  to  Sacramento. 

Having  letters  to  Barton  Reed  and  Grimm,  commission 
merchants  of  Sacramento,  to  whom  Mr.  Derby  had  made 
one  or  two  consignments  of  books  on  a  venture,  we  imme- 
diately called  on  them  and  talked  over  the  relative  business 
chances  in  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento.  The  idea  of 
going  to  Oregon  had  been  long  since  abandoned,  and  now 
Sacramento  seemed  to  offer  more  attractions  for  the  open- 
ing of  a  small  shop  than  any  other  place. 

Sacramento  having  been  decided  on,  the  next  thing  was 
to  write  Mr.  Derby  and  inform  him  of  our  decision.  This 
done  we  took  the  boat  for  Marysville,  en  route  for  Long  bar, 
in  search  of  my  father.  There  I  was  initiated  into  the  mys- 
teries of  mining  and  mining  life.  The  placer  diggings  of 
this  locality  were  then  good,  and  so  remained  for  several 
years,  but  the  population  changed  every  {q\n  months,  the 
dissatisfied  leaving  and  new  adventurers  coming  in.  Ten 
dollars  a  day  was  too  little  in  the  eyes  of  those  accustomed 
to  make  twenty,  and  so  they  sold  or  abandoned  their  claims 
and  prospected  for  richer  diggings.  Wandering  thus  from 
placer  to  placer  for  years,  they  lost  their  opportunity,  if  not 
their  lives,  and  usually  ended  their  mining  career  where  they 
began,  without  a  dollar. 

When  my  father  came  to  the  country,  my  eldest  brother, 
Curtis,  who  had  preceded  him,  was  keeping  a  store  and 
hotel  at  Long  bar.  He  was  doing  well,  was  making  money 
steadily  and  safely.  At  one  time  he  had  five  thousand  dollars 
surplus  capital,  with  which  he  started  for  San  Francisco,  there 
to  invest  it  in  city  lots.  Had  he  done  so,  buying  judiciously 
and  holding,  he  might  now  be  worth  his  millions.     Unfortu- 


6o  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

nately,  he  communicated  the  plan  to  John  C.  Fall,  then  one 
of  the  leading  merchants  of  Marysville,  and  by  him  he  was 
induced  to  make  a  venture  which  involved  his  leaving  Long 
bar,  and  ultimately  ended  in  financial  ruin.  Rich  bar,  on 
Feather  river,  had  lately  been  discovered,  and  was  drawing 
multitudes  of  fortune-seekers  from  every  quarter.  It  was  not 
difficult  for  Mr.  Fall  to  persuade  my  brother,  with  abundance 
of  means  and  unlimited  credit,  to  buy  a  band  of  mules  and 
load  them  with  goods  for  that  place.  Once  there  he  erected 
a  building,  and  opened  a  hotel  and  store.  For  a  time  all 
went  well.  Up  and  down  the  river  the  diggings  were  rich, 
and  gold  dust  was  poured  into  his  coffers  by  the  quart.  The 
establishment  at  Long  bar  seemed  insignificant  in  comparison, 
and  he  sold  it  and  moved  his  family  to  Rich  bar.  My  father 
remained  at  Long  bar.  He  had  been  in  the  country  now 
about  two  years,  had  accumulated  a  little  sum,  and  meant 
soon  to  return  home.  But  shortly  before  setting  out  an 
opportunity  offered  whereby  he  might  increase  his  little  for-  • 
tune  tenfold,  and  without  a  risk  of  failure — so  it  seemed  to 
him  and  to  others. 

Quartz  mining  was  about  this  time  attracting  attention, 
and  the  prospect  was  very  flattering.  The  ledge  was  dis- 
covered and  staked  off,  its  dimensions  told,  its  rock  assayed, 
the  cost  of  crushing  estimated,  and  the  number  of  years  cal- 
culated before  the  mine  would  be  exhausted.  Surely  this  was 
no  vain  speculation,  it  was  a  simple  arithmetical  problem,  the 
quantity,  the  quality,  the  cost  of  separation,  and  the  net  prof- 
its. Yet  it  was  a  problem  which  wrecked  thousands.  The 
gold  was  in  the  mine,  and  rock  enough  of  an  ascertained 
grade  to  last  for  years,  but  the  cost  of  extracting  was  more 
than  had  been  anticipated,  and,  what  was  worst  of  all,  the 
methods  of  saving  the  gold  after  the  rock  was  crushed  were 
imperfect,  so  that  even  good  rock  failed  to  pay  expenses. 

Two  miles  from  Long  bar,  near  the  Marysville  road,  was 
a  place  called  Brown  valley,  and  through  this  ran  a  quartz 
ledge,  long  known  but  regarded  as  valueless,  because  no  one 
could  extract  the  gold  from  the  hard  white  rock  which  held 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!      ESTO    PERPETUA!  6l 

it.  When,  however,  quartz  mining  became  the  fashion,  and 
every  one  who  owned  a  share  was  sure  of  a  fortune,  this  ledge 
was  taken  up  and  staked  off  into  claims  under  the  names  of 
different  companies.  One  of  these  companies  was  called  the 
Plymouth,  always  a  pleasing  name  to  the  ear  of  my  father, 
and  as  the  lode  held  an  abundance  of  gold,  he  was  induced 
to  invest  —  not  venture  —  the  greater  part  of  the  money  he 
had  made,  before  returning  home. 

Midway  between  Long  bar  and  the  mine  ran  a  little 
stream,  whose  name.  Dry  creek,  was  significant  of  its  charac- 
ter, for  like  many  other  streams  in  California,  though  flush 
with  water  in  the  winter,  it  was  dry  as  a  parlor  floor  in  the 
summer.  This  stream  had  been  dammed,  a  race  dug,  and  a 
quartz  mill  with  eight  or  ten  stamps  constructed,  all  in  work- 
ing order;  and  at  the  time  of  my  arrival  it  was  just  ready,  as 
it  had  been  at  any  time  since  its  erection,  to  make  every 
shareholder  rich.  It  was  necessary  merely  to  effect  some 
little  change  in  the  method  of  extracting  and  saving  the  gold, 
and  this  was  receiving  attention. 

I  found  my  father,  in  connection  with  other  members  of  the 
Plymouth  association,  busily  engaged  in  working  this  mine. 
He  occupied  a  little  cloth  house  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ledge, 
and  being  the  owner  of  a  good  mule  team,  employed  himself 
in  hauling  rock  from  the  mine  to  the  mill,  about  one  mile 
apart,  and  in  gathering  wood  with  which  to  burn  the  rock,  so 
that  it  could  be  the  more  easily  crushed.  The  first  night  I 
spent  with  him  in  the  hotel  at  Long  bar.  Foremost  among 
my  recollections  of  the  place  are  those  of  the  fleas,  which  to- 
gether with  the  loud  snorings  and  unpleasant  odors  proceeding 
from  the  crowd  of  men  strewn  about  on  bunks,  benches,  tables, 
and  floor,  so  disturbed  my  sleep  that  I  arose  and  went  out  to 
select  a  soft  place  on  the  hill-side  above  the  camp,  where  I 
rolled  myself  in  a  blanket  and  passed  the  night,  my  first  in  the 
open  air  in  California. 

The  next  day  found  me  settled  down  to  business.  As  eight 
or  nine  months  must  elapse  before  my  letter  from  Sacramento 
could  be  received  by  Mr.  Derby,  and  goods  reach  me  by  way 


62  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

of  Cape  Horn,  it  was  arranged  that  T  should  work  with  niy 
father  for  the  Plymouth  company.  In  the  morning  we  climbed 
the  oak  trees  scattered  about  the  valley,  and  with  an  axe 
lopped  off  the  large  brittle  branches,  adding  them  to  the 
already  huge  pile  of  wood  beside  the  mill.  At  noon  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  little  cloth  house,  unharnessed  and  fed  the  ani- 
mals, and  then  cooked  and  ate  our  dinner.  Beefsteak,  beans, 
bread,  and  potatoes,  with  coffee,  canned  fruits,  pancakes,  or 
anything  of  the  kind  we  chose  to  add,  constituted  the  fare  of 
self-boarding  miners  in  those  days ;  but  with  all  our  culinary 
talents  we  could  not  offer  Mr.  Kenny  a  meal  sufficiently  tempt- 
ing to  induce  him  to  partake  of  it,  and  so  he  obtained  his 
dinner  from  a  boarding-house  near-by,  and  left  shortly  after- 
ward for  Rich  bar. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  enjoyed  this  kind  of  life,  and  could 
scarcely  have  endured  it  but  for  the  thought  that  it  was  only 
temporary.  At  night  the  animals  were  turned  loose  to  graze. 
Early  in  the  morning,  long  before  the  sun  had  risen,  I  was 
up  and  over  the  hills  after  them.  Stiff  and  sore  from  the 
previous  day's  work,  wet  with  wading  through  the  long,  damp 
grass,  I  was  in  no  humor  to  enjoy  those  glorious  mornings, 
ushered  in  by  myriads  of  sweet  songsters  welcoming  the 
warm  sunlight  which  came  tremblingly  through  the  soft  misty 
air.  To  the  clouds  of  top-knotted  quails  which  rose  at  my 
approach,  the  leaping  hare,  the  startled  deer,  and  the  thick 
beds  of  fresh  fragrant  flowers  which  I  trampled  under  my  feet, 
I  was  ahke  indifferent.  How  I  loaded  and  lashed  the  poor 
dumb  beasts,  and  gritted  my  teeth  with  vexation  over  the  un- 
welcome task  !  The  sharp  rocks  cut  my  hands,  the  heavy  logs 
of  wood  strained  my  muscles ;  and  my  temper,  never  one  of 
the  sweetest,  fumed  and  fretted  like  that  of  a  newly  chained 
cub.  Were  it  in  my  power  I  would  have  multiplied  those 
mules  so  as  to  smite  the  more. 

The  night  before  leaving  Buffalo  I  had  danced  until  morn- 
ing. It  happened  that  about  the  only  clothes  saved  from  the 
thieves  of  the  Isthmus  were  what  I  had  used  on  that  occa- 


HAIL    CALIFORNIA!      ESTO    PERPETUA !  63 

sion.  These  I  wore  until  work  turned  them  into  rags.  In 
the  pocket  I  found  one  day  a  pair  of  white  kid  gloves,  relic 
of  past  revelries,  and  putting  them  on  I  gathered  up  the  reins, 
mounted  the  load,  and  beating  my  mules  into  a  round  trot, 
rode  up  to  the  mill  laughing  bitterly  at  the  absurdity  of  the 
thing.  Ten  or  twelve  loads  was  a  fair  day's  work ;  I  hauled 
twenty  or  twenty-five.  A  dollar  a  load  was  the  price  allowed 
—  but  it  was  not  money,  it  was  wrath,  that  made  me  do  it. 
My  father,  though  mild  in  his  treatment  of  me,  expostulated. 
He  feared  I  would  kill  the  animals.  I  said  nothing,  but  when 
out  of  his  sight  I  only  drove  them  the  harder.  Little  cared 
I  whether  the  mules  or  myself  were  killed.  Sunday  was  a 
day  of  rest,  but  on  Monday  I  felt  sorer  in  body  and  mind 
than  on  any  other  day.  I  had  brought  plenty  of  books  with 
me,  but  could  not  read,  or  if  I  did  it  was  only  to  raise  a  flood 
of  longings  which  seemed  sometimes  to  overwhelm  me.  My 
soul  was  in  harmony  with  nothing  except  the  coyotes  which 
all  night  howled  discordantly  behind  the  hills. 

After  two  months  of  this  kind  of  hfe  the  hot  weather  was 
upon  us.  The  streams  began  to  dry  up ;  water  was  becoming 
scarce.  We  had  heaped  up  the  wood  and  the  rock  about 
the  mill,  and  my  tally  showed  a  long  score  against  the  com- 
pany for  work.  But  the  mill  did  not  pay.  There  was  always 
something  wrong  about  it,  some  little  obstacle  that  stood  in 
the  way  of  immediate  success:  the  stamps  were  not  heavy 
enough,  or  they  did  not  work  smoothly;  the  rest  of  the 
machinery  was  inadequate,  and  the  rock  was  harder  than  had 
been  anticipated.  That  it  was  hard  enough,  I  who  had 
handled  it  well  knew.  There  was  no  money,  but  there  were 
plenty  of  shares. 

I  cannot  tell  why  neither  my  father  nor  I  should  have  seen 
by  this  time  that  the  enterprise  was  a  failure.  But  we  did 
not  see  it.  We  had  schooled  ourselves  in  the  belief  that  the 
rocky  bank  contained  a  mint  of  money  which  must  some  day 
enrich  the  possessor.  But  there  was  then  nothing  more  to  be 
done,  and  my  father  concluded  to  pay  a  parting  visit  to  my 
brother  at  Rich  bar  and  set  out  for  home.    For  our  work  we 


64  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

took  more  shares,  and  still  more  in  exchange  for  the  team  and 
the  scattering  eftects,  and  abandoned  it  all  forever.  Several 
years  afterwOvrd  I  learned  that  a  new  company  had  taken 
possession  of  the  claim  and  was  doing  well.  After  leaving 
the  place  I  firmly  resolved  that  thenceforth,  whatever  specu- 
lation I  might  at  any  time  engage  in,  it  should  be  not  with 
my  own  labor.  I  might  stake  money,  but  if  I  worked  with 
my  hands  I  would  have  pay  for  such  labor. 

Behold  us  now  !  my  aged  father  and  myself,  tramping  over 
the  plains  beneath  a  broiling  sun  about  the  middle  of  June, 
each  with  a  bundle  and  stick,  mine  containing  my  sole  pos- 
sessions. In  the  early  morning,  fresh  from  sleep,  with  glad- 
ness of  heart  at  leaving  the  valley  of  hateful  memories  behind, 
we  marched  away  over  the  hills  at  a  round  pace.  But  as  the 
sun  above  our  heads  neared  the  point  from  which  it  poured 
its  almost  perpendicular  rays,  I  became  excessively  fatigued. 
My  feet  blistered ;  my  limbs  ached ;  water  was  to  be  had  only 
at  intervals ;  the  prayed-for  breath  of  air  came  hot  and  suffo- 
cating, like  a  sirocco,  mingled  with  clouds  of  dust  from  the 
parched  plain.  Thinking  over  my  short  experience  in  the 
country  and  my  present  position,  I  exclaimed,  "  If  this  be 
California,  I  hope  God  will  give  me  little  of  it."  As  we  trod 
slowly  along,  stepping  lightly  on  the  burning  ground,  I  began 
to  think  the  mules  would  have  been  better  for  our  purpose 
than  the  shares,  but  I  said  nothing. 

That  day  we  walked  thirty  miles,  crossed  the  river  at  Bid- 
well  bar,  intending  to  stop  over  night  at  a  rancho  some 
distance  beyond  in  the  mountains;  but  we  had  not  ascended 
far  before  I  persuaded  my  father  to  camp,  for  rest  I  must. 
He  willingly  complied,  aiid  selecting  a  sheltered  place  well 
covered  with  dry  leaves  we  spread  our  blankets.  In  a  moment 
I  was  asleep,  and  knew  nothing  further  till  morning,  when  I 
awoke  almost  as  fresh  as  ever.  We  had  food  with  us,  but  the 
night  before  I  had  been  too  tired  to  eat.  The  first  day  was 
the  worst.  We  were  now  in  the  cool,  fragrant  air  of  the  Sierra, 
travelling  a  well-beatcn  ])ath  intersected  by  numerous  rivulets 
of  melted  snow.  The  third  day  we  reached  Rich  bar  in  good 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!     ESTO   PERPETUA !  65 

condition.  My  father,  after  a  visit  of  about  a  week,  returned 
with  a  train  of  mules  to  Marysville,  where  he  took  the  boat 
for  San  Francisco,  and  thence  the  steamer  homeward. 

As  I  had  still  six  months  or  thereabout  to  wait  for  my  goods, 
I  agreed  to  remain  with  my  brother  Curtis  for  such  compen- 
sation as  he  could  afford  to  give.  My  duties  were  to  carry  on 
the  store  and  look  after  the  business  generally  in  his  absence. 
Mr.  Kenny  was  likewise  engaged  by  my  brother  for  an  estab- 
lishment at  Indian  bar,  a  few  miles  down  the  river.  There 
we  remained  until  November,  when  we  went  to  San  Francisco. 

Shortly  before  leaving  Rich  bar  I  had  received  intelHgence 
of  the  death  of  Harlow  Palmer,  eldest  son  of  George  Palmer, 
a  wealthy  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Buffalo.  Harlow 
Palmer  had  married  my  sister  Emily.  Away  in  the  heart  of 
the  Sierra  I  received  the  mournful  tidings  as  a  message  from 
another  world.  I  said  nothing  to  any  one ;  but  when  the 
sun  had  buried  itself  in  the  granite  waves  beyond,  and  had 
left  the  sky  and  earth  alone  together,  alone  to  whisper  to  each 
other  their  old-time  secrets,  with  my  own  sad  secret  I  wan- 
dered forth  beside  the  transparent  river,  where  gold-diggers 
had  honeycombed  the  pebbly  bottom  and  opened  graves  for 
myriads  of  hopes,  and  there,  down  in  the  deep  canon,  I  sped 
my  longings  upward,  the  only  window  of  escape  for  pent-up 
trouble. 

But  this  was  only  the  beginning  of  sorrow.  Scarcely  had 
I  reached  Sacramento  when  the  death  of  George  H.  Derby 
was  announced.  Surely,  said  I,  there  must  be  a  mistake.  It 
is  Mr,  Palmer  they  mean ;  they  have  confused  the  husbands 
of  the  two  sisters.  I  would  not  believe  it ;  it  could  not  be. 
Letters,  however,  soon  confirmed  the  report.  The  two 
brothers-in-law,  young,  high-spirited,  active,  intelligent,  prom- 
ising men,  the  warmest  of  friends,  had  both  been  smitten  by 
the  cholera  in  the  same  month. 

All  my  plans  and  purposes  I  saw  at  once  were  at  an  end. 
I  knew  very  well  that  no  one  else,  now  that  Mr.  Derby  was 
dead,  would  do  so  foolish  a  thing  as  to  continue  shipments 
of  goods  to  an  inexperienced,  moneyless  boy  in  California. 


66  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Indeed,  directly  after  receiving  the  first  sad  intelligence  came 
a  letter  from  the  executor,  requesting  the  speedy  sale  of  the 
consignment  about  to  arrive  and  the  remittance  of  the  money. 
Accompanying  this  order  was  an  urgent  but  most  unneces- 
sary appeal  to  my  sympathies  in  behalf  of  my  sister,  Mrs, 
Derby.  The  estate,  it  afifirrned,  would  net  little  else  than  the 
property  in  my  hands,  without  which  the  widow  and  children 
must  suffer. 

Having  no  further  business  in  Sacramento,  I  went  down 
to  the  bay  and  stopped  at  the  Rassette  house,  where  also 
Kenny  was  domiciled,  I  was  determined  that,  whatever  the 
cost,  Mrs.  Derby  should  have  the  full  amount  of  the  invoice, 
with  commissions  added,  as  soon  as  the  goods  could  be  con- 
verted into  money  and  the  proceeds  remitted  to  her.  To  sell 
in  the  market,  at  that  time,  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
books  and  stationery  in  one  lot,  without  a  sacrifice,  was  im- 
possible. I  determined  there  should  be  no  sacrifice,  even  if 
I  had  to  peddle  them  from  door  to  door.  I  possessed  only 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  the  result  of  my  services  at 
Rich  bar,  and  began  to  look  about  for  employment  till  the 
goods  should  arrive.  At  none  of  the  several  book  and 
stationery  shops  was  there  any  prospect.  I  was  thin,  young, 
awkward,  bashful,  had  no  address,  and  was  slow  of  wit. 
Besides,  merchants  were  shy  of  a  clerk  with  shipments  of 
goods  behind  him;  for  why  should  he  desire  a  situation 
except  to  learn  the  secrets  of  his  employer  and  then  use  them 
to  his  own  advantage  ?  I  explained  the  poverty  of  my  pros- 
pects and  declared  the  purity  of  my  intentions.  All  was  in 
vain ;  nobody  would  have  my  services,  even  as  a  gift. 

Mr.  Kenny  was  more  fortunate.  In  his  nature  were 
blended  the  siiaviter  in  modo  and  the  fortiter  in  re.  He  was 
older  than  I,  and  possessed  of  an  Irish  tongue  withal ;  so  that 
he  made  friends  wherever  he  went.  An  equal  partnership  was 
offered  him  by  William  B.  Cooke,  who  had  lately  dissolved 
with  Josiah  J,  Le  Count,  and  was  then  establishing  himself 
anew  at  the  corner  of  Merchant  and  Montgomery  streets. 
The  terms  were  that  Kenny  should   place  upon  Cooke's 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!      ESTO    PERPETUA !  67 

shelves  the  stock  sent  out  to  me ;  that  the  proceeds  should 
be  remitted  east  as  fast  as  sales  were  made,  or,  if  possible, 
payments  should  be  even  faster  than  this;  in  any  event 
not  less  than  five  hundred  dollars  was  to  be  paid  on  each 
steamer  day.  Meanwhile  I  must  provide  for  myself;  but 
this  did  not  trouble  me.  I  readily  consented,  stipulating 
only  for  immediate  control  of  the  stock  if  the  firm  did  not 
remit  as  promised.  In  no  surer  or  quicker  way  could  I 
realize  the  invoice  price  for  the  whole  shipment,  and  this  was 
now  my  chief  ambition. 

Presendy  the  goods  amved,  and  the  firm  of  Cooke,  Ken- 
ny, and  Company  was  organized,  the  company  being  a  young 
friend  of  Mr.  Cooke.  I  had  free  access  to  the  premises,  and 
watched  matters  closely  for  a  while.  Everything  went  on 
satisfactorily,  and  the  whole  amount  was  remitted  to  the  ex- 
ecutors of  Mr.  Derby's  estate  according  to  agreement.  Mean- 
time I  had  applied  myself  more  earnestly  than  ever  to  obtain 
work  of  some  kind.  I  must  stay  in  San  Francisco  at  least 
until  my  account  with  the  estate  was  settled,  and  I  greatly 
preferred  remaining  in  the  city  altogether.  Mines  and  the 
miners,  and  country  trading  of  any  kind,  had  become  exceed- 
ingly distasteful  to  me.  I  felt,  if  an  opportunity  were  offered, 
that  I  would  prove  competent  and  faithful  in  almost  any  capac- 
ity ;  for  though  diffident  I  had  an  abundance  of  self-reliance, 
and  would  do  anything.  Accustomed  to  work  all  my  life, 
idleness  was  to  me  the  greatest  of  afflictions,  and  I  envied 
the  very  hod-carriers. 

Thus  for  six  months,  day  after  day,  I  tramped  the  streets 
of  San  Francisco  seeking  work  and  finding  none.  Hundreds 
have  since  in  like  manner  applied  to  me,  and  remembering 
how  the  harsh  refusals  once  cut  my  sensitive  nature,  I  try 
to  be  kind  to  applicants  of  whatsoever  degree,  and  if  not 
able  to  give  work  I  can  at  least  offer  sympathy  and  advice. 
Finally,  sick  with  disappointment,  I  determined  to  leave  the 
city:  but  not  for  the  Sierra  foothills;  rather  China  or  Aus- 
tralia. The  choice  must  be  made  quickly,  for  the  last  dollar 
from  Rich  bar  was  gone,  and  I  would  not  live  on  others,  or 


68  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

run  in  debt  with  nothing  wherewith  to  pay.  Often  I  wan- 
dered among  the  shipping  and  scanned  the  vessels  for  differ- 
ent ports.  I  knew  httle  of  the  various  parts  of  the  world, 
and  had  little  choice  where  to  go.  My  future  turned  upon  a 
hair. 

In  the  spring  of  1853  the  San  Francisco  papers  began  to 
notice  a  new  town  on  the  California  shore  of  the  Pacific, 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  the  Oregon  boundary  line. 
Crescent  City  the  place  was  called,  from  a  long  sweep  taken 
by  the  shore  inward  between  Trinidad  bay  and  Point  St. 
George.  Only  a  few  tents  and  split-board  houses,  trembling 
between  the  sullen  roar  of  ocean  at  the  front  door  and  the 
ofttimes  whistling  wind  in  the  dense  pine  forest  at  the  back 
door,  marked  the  site  of  what  was  to  be  the  most  important 
town  of  northern  California. 

On  both  sides  of  the  boundary  line  were  extensive  mining 
districts,  at  various  distances  from  the  coast,  access  to  which 
had  hitherto  been  from  Oregon  only  by  way  of  Portland  and 
Scottsburg,  and  from  the  Sacramento  valley  through  Shasta. 
Most  of  the  country  hereabout  might  have  been  traversed  in 
wagons  but  for  one  difficulty  —  there  were  no  wagon  roads ; 
consequently  most  of  the  merchandise  carried  to  this  port 
by  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  was  conveyed  into  the  interior 
on  the  backs  of  mules.  There  was  plenty  of  good  agricultural 
land  round  Crescent  City,  and  forests  of  magnificent  timber, 
but  few  thought  of  farming  in  those  days,  and  lumber  could 
be  more  easily  obtained  at  other  points  along  the  coast.  The 
mines  and  their  traffic  offered  the  chief  inducements  for  estab- 
lishing a  city.  Nor  was  it  to  depend  so  much  on  the  mines 
already  discovered  as  on  those  which  were  sure  to  be  found 
as  soon  as  the  country  was  fairly  prospected.  The  color  of 
gold,  they  said,  had  been  seen  on  Smith  river,  only  twelve 
miles  distant;  and  farther  up,  at  Althouse  and  Jacksonville, 
was  gold  itself,  and  men  at  work  digging  for  it.  As  other 
parts  boasted  their  Gold  lakes  and  Gold  bluffs,  so  here  was 
an  unsolved  mystery  wherein  gold  was  the  fitful  goddess  —  a 
lone  cabin  that  men  talked  of  in  whispers,  where  treasure- 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!     ESTO   PERPETUA !  69 

diggers  long  since  departed  had  filled  bags  and  bottles  and 
tin  cans  with  the  glittering  dirt  that  made  glad  the  hearts  of 
those  awaiting  them  in  eastern  homes.  Several  parties  went 
in  search  of  this  lone  cabin  at  various  times.  It  was  con- 
fidently believed  that  some  day  it  would  be  found,  and  when 
that  day  should  come,  a  seaport  town,  with  railways,  wharves, 
and  shipping,  would  be  absolutely  necessary  to  furnish  the 
diggers  in  that  \'icinity  mth  food  and  clothing,  tents,  whiskey, 
and  playing-cards,  and  receive  and  export  for  the  honest 
miners  the  tons  of  heavy  metal  which  they  would  unearth. 

Knowing  of  no  better  place,  I  determined  to  try  my  fortune 
at  Crescent  City ;  so,  Avith  fifty  dollars  borrowed,  and  a  case 
of  books  and  stationery  bought  on  credit,  I  embarked  on 
board  the  steamer  Columbia  about  the  middle  of  May,  Two 
days  and  one  night  the  voyage  lasted — long  enough,  with 
the  crowded  state  of  the  vessel  and  the  poor  comforts  at  my 
command,  to  leave  me  on  landing  completely  prostrated  with 
sea-sickness  and  fatigue.  Taken  ashore  in  a  whale-boat,  I 
crawled  to  a  hotel  and  went  to  bed.  My  box  was  landed  in 
a  lighter,  but  for  a  day  or  two  I  made  no  attempt  at  business. 
Adjoining  the  hotel  was  the  general  merchandise  store  of 
Crowell  and  Fairfield,  and  there  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Mr,  Crowell,  which  developed  into  mutual  confidence  and 
esteem.  As  our  friendship  increased,  he  occasionally  re- 
quested me  to  attend  the  store  during  his  absence,  and  also 
to  enter  in  the  day-book  the  sales  which  he  had  made.  At 
length,  on  learning  my  purpose,  he  made  me  an  offer  of  fifty 
dollars  a  month  to  keep  his  books,  ■with  the  privilege  of  pla- 
cing my  stock  on  his  shelves  and  selling  from  it  for  my  own 
account  free  of  charge.  I  gladly  accepted,  and  was  soon 
enrolled  as  book-keeper  and  book-seller.  As  I  slept  in  the 
store,  indulged  in  little  dissipation,  and  was  not  extravagant 
in  dress,  my  expenses  were  very  light,  while  the  profits  on 
my  goods,  which  I  sold  only  for  cash,  were  large.  Mean- 
while, as  the  business  of  the  firm  augmented  and  the  duties 
became  more  responsible,  my  salary  was  from  time  to  time 
increased,  until  at  the  expiration  of  eighteen  months,  with 


70  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES, 

the  savings  which  I  had  accumulated  and  allowed  to  remain 
at  interest  with  the  firm,  I  found  myself  the  recipient  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  monthly.  Some  six  months  later 
the  firm  failed.  I  bought  a  portion  of  the  stock  and  tried 
merchandising  on  my  own  account  for  a  short  time,  but 
being  dissatisfied  with  my  life  there,  I  disposed  of  the  busi- 
ness, built  a  brick  store,  which  I  leased  to  some  hardware 
merchants,  and  leaving  my  aftairs  in  the  hands  of  an  agent 
returned  to  San  Francisco. 

Though  it  was  a  trading  rather  than  a  mining  town,  life 
at  Crescent  City  was  in  most  respects  similar  to  life  in  the 
mines.  There  was  the  same  element  in  the  community,  the 
same  lack  of  virtuous  women,  the  same  species  of  gaming- 
houses, drinking-saloons,  and  dens  of  prostitution.  The 
Reverend  Mr.  Lacy,  afterward  pastor  of  the  first  Congre- 
gational society  in  San  Francisco,  essayed  to  build  a 
church  and  reform  the  people,  but  his  efforts  were  at- 
tended with  poor  success. 

A  rancheria  of  natives  occupied  the  point  that  formed  the 
northern  horn  of  the  Crescent,  and  with  them  the  citizens 
endeavored  to  live  in  peace.  But  one  night  the  rancheria 
took  fire,  and  a  serious  commotion  was  threatened.  The 
natives  thought  the  white  men  intended  to  bum  them  out, 
and  the  white  men  began  to  fear  an  emeute,  and  perhaps  a 
general  massacre.  Morning,  however,  threw  light  upon  the 
matter.  It  appeared  that  a  drunken  white  man  had  taken 
lodgings  in  a  native  hut,  and  feeling  cold,  in  the  absence  of 
the  accustomed  alcoholic  fires  had  built  a  fire  of  wood  to  warm 
himself  withal ;  but,  being  drunk,  he  built  it  after  the  white 
man's  fashion,  at  one  end  of  the  room  against  the  bark  boards 
of  the  house,  and  not  where  the  sober  savage  would  have 
placed  it,  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  The  pioneer  citizens  of  the 
Crescent  were  orderly,  well-meaning  men,  who  prided  them- 
selves on  emptying  a  five-gallon  keg  of  the  most  fiery  spirits 
San  Francisco  could  send  them,  and  on  carrying  it  respect- 
ably, with  eyes  open,  head  up,  and  tongue  capable  of  articu- 
lating, even  though  it  did  thicken  and  crisp  a  little  sometimes 


HAIL   CALIFORNIA!     ESTO   PERPETUA  !  7 1 

toward  morning  after  a  night  at  poker.  They  could  not  there- 
fore silently  pass  by  the  affront  cast  on  their  dusky  neighbors 
by  an  unworthy  member  of  their  own  color ;  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  a  court  of  law  they  held  a  court  of  inquiry,  whose 
finding  was  that  the  vile  white  man  who  could  not  drink 
without  making  himself  drunk,  should  first  pay  the  natives 
blankets,  beads,  and  knives  enough  fully  to  satisfy  them  for 
loss  and  damage  to  their  property,  and  then  should  leave  the 
place.  Well  done,  noble  topers  of  the  Crescent,  who  would 
not  see  even  the  poor  savages  wronged  by  one  of  their 
number ! 

The  two  and  a  half  years  I  spent  at  Crescent  City  were 
worse  than  thrown  away,  although  I  did  accumulate  some 
six  or  eight  thousand  dollars.  With  an  abundance  of  time  on 
my  hands,  I  read  httle  but  trashy  novels,  and  though  from 
diffidence  I  did  not  mingle  greatly  with  the  people,  I  im- 
proved my  mind  no  better  than  they.  One  bosom  friend  I 
had,  Theodore  S.  Pomeroy,  county  clerk  and  editor  of  the 
Herald,  probably  the  most  intelligent  man  in  the  place,  and 
much  of  my  time  outside  of  business  I  spent  with  him  at  cards 
or  billiards.  On  Sundays  there  was  horse-racing,  or  foot-racing, 
or  cock-fighting  on  the  beach  ;  and  often  a  party,  composed 
of  the  most  respectable  citizens,  would  start  out  at  any  time 
between  midnight  and  daybreak,  and  with  horns,  tin  pans,  and 
gongs,  make  the  round  of  the  place,  pounding  at  every  door, 
and  compelling  the  inmates  to  rise,  administer  drink  to  all, 
and  join  the  jovial  company.  Knives  and  pistols  v/ere  almost 
universally  carried  and  recklessly  used.  In  a  drunken  brawl 
a  man  was  shot  dead  one  night  in  front  of  my  store.  I  did 
not  rush  out  with  others  to  witness  the  scene,  and  so  saved 
myself  a  month's  time,  and  the  heavy  expense  of  a  journey  to 
Yreka  to  attend  the  trial  of  the  murderer.  During  my  resi- 
dence I  made  several  trips  on  business  to  San  Francisco,  and 
on  the  whole  managed  my  affairs  with  prudence  and  economy. 
I  well  remember  the  first  five  hundred  dollars  I  made.  The 
sum  was  deposited  with  Page,  Bacon,  and  Company,  so  that 
whatever  befell  me  I  might  have  that  amount  to  carry  me 


72  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

back  to  my  friends,  for  I  never  ceased  longing  to  see  them. 
Fortunately,  Crowell  and  Fairfield  being  in  need  of  money, 
I  drew  it  out  for  their  use  just  before  the  bank  failed,  I  have 
never  felt  so  rich  before  or  since.  Having  great  faith  in  the 
ultimate  growth  of  Crescent  City,  I  invested  my  earnings 
there,  though  after  the  lapse  of  several  years  I  was  glad  to 
realize  at  thirty  cents  on  the  dollar. 

My  sisters  had  often  urged  me  strongly  to  return  to  the 
east,  Mrs,  Derby,  particularly,  was  quite  alone,  and  she 
wished  me  to  come,  and  if  possible  settle  permanently  near 
her,  I  now  felt  quite  independent,  and  consequently  proud 
and  happy,  for  my  brick  store  at  Crescent  City,  worth,  as  I 
counted  it,  eight  thousand  dollars,  and  rented  for  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  a  month,  seemed  at  that  time  sufficient 
to  make  me  comfortable  without  work.  Hence  I  resolved  to 
go  home  —  the  eastern  side  was  always  home  then,  whether 
one  lived  there  or  not  —  and  my  friend  Pomeroy  promised  to 
accompany  me.  Meanwhile  the  firm  of  Cooke,  Kenny,  and 
Company  had  failed,  from  lack  of  capital,  and  Mr.  Kenny 
was  doing  business  for  another  house.  Often  have  I  thought 
how  fortunate  it  was  that  I  did  not  open  a  store  in  San  Fran- 
cisco or  Sacramento  at  that  time,  since  the  inevitable  result 
would  have  been  failure.  As  I  have  said,  almost  every  firm 
then  doing  business  failed ;  and  if  men  with  capital  and  ex- 
perience, with  a  large  trade  already  established,  could  not 
succeed,  how  could  I  expect  to  do  so  ?  In  November,  1855, 
with  Mr,  Pomeroy  as  a  companion,  I  sailed  from  San  Fran- 
cisco for  New  York,  where  we  safely  arrived,  and  shortly  after 
separated  for  the  homes  of  our  respective  friends. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    HOUSE   OF   H.    H.    BANCROFT   AND   COMPANY. 

Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  business,  he  shall  stand  before  kings ; 
he  shall  not  stand  before  mean  men. — Proverbs. 

HOME  again !  None  but  a  wanderer,  and  a  youthful  wan- 
derer, can  feel  those  words  in  their  fullest  import. 
Back  from  the  first  three  years  in  California.  Out  of  the 
depths  and  into  paradise.  Away  from  harassing  cares,  from 
the  discordant  contentions  of  money-getting,  from  the  con- 
taminations of  filthy  debaucheries,  beyond  the  shot  of  pistol 
or  reach  of  bowie-knife,  safe  home,  there  let  me  rest.  Nor 
does  the  prestige  of  success  lessen  the  pleasure  of  the  re- 
turned Califomian.  Even  our  warmest  friends  are  human. 
Those  who  would  nurse  us  most  kindly  in  sickness,  who 
would  spare  no  self-denial  for  our  comfort,  who,  unworthy 
as  we  might  be  of  their  affection,  would  die  for  us  if  neces- 
sary, the  hearts  of  even  these  in  their  thanksgiving  are 
warmed  Avith  pride  if  to  their  welcome  they  may  add  "  Well 
done ! " 

I  found  my  sister,  Mrs.  Derby,  wnth  her  three  daughters, 
cosily  keeping  house  in  Auburn,  New  York.  My  youngest 
sister,  Mary,  was  with  her.  Soon  Mrs.  Palmer,  my  second 
sister,  came  down  from  Buffalo  to  see  her  Califomian  brother. 
It  was  a  happy  meeting,  though  saddened  by  the  recollection 
of  bereavements.  Between  Auburn  and  Buffalo  I  passed  the 
winter  delightfully,  and  in  the  spring  visited  my  friends  in 
Granville.  I  tried  my  best  to  like  it  at  the  east,  to  make  up 
my  mind  to  abandon  California  and  settle  permanently  in 
Buffalo  or  New  York,  to  be  a  comfort  to  my  sisters,  and 
a  solace  to  my  parents ;    but  the  western  coast,  with  all  its 

73 


74  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

rough  hardships,  had  fastened  itself  too  strongly  upon  me  to 
be  shaken  off.  And  so  round  many  a  poor  pilgrim  California 
has  thrown  her  witcheries,  drawing  him  back  to  her  bright 
shores  whenever  he  attempted  to  leave  them,  like  the  magnetic 
mountain  of  Arabian  story.  The  east,  as  compared  with  the 
west,  was  very  comfortable,  very  cultivated,  soothing  to  the 
senses  and  refining  to  the  intelligence;  but  society  was  so 
proper,  so  particular,  and  business  ways  seemed  stale  and  flat. 

Suddenly,  in  April,  1856, 1  made  up  my  mind  no  longer  to 
remain  there.  I  had  visited  enough  and  wasted  time  enough. 
I  was  impatient  to  be  doing.  So,  without  saying  a  word  at 
first,  I  packed  my  trunk,  and  then  told  my  sister  of  the  resolve. 
I  appreciated  her  kindness  most  fully.  I  regretted  leaving 
her  more  than  words  could  tell,  but  I  felt  that  I  must  go ; 
there  was  that  in  California  which  harmonized  with  my  aspi- 
rations and  drew  forth  energies  which  elsewhere  would  remain 
dormant.     I  must  be  up  and  doing. 

On  one  side  of  the  continent  all  was  new,  all  was  to  be 
done;  on  the  other  there  was  no  such  attraction.  To  the 
satisfied  and  unambitious  an  eastern  or  European  life  of  doke 
far  iiientc  might  be  delicious ;  to  me  if  I  had  millions  it  would 
be  torment.  The  mill  must  needs  grind,  for  so  the  maker 
ordained ;  if  wheat  be  thrown  into  the  hopper  it  sends  forth 
fine  flour,  but  if  unfed  it  still  grinds,  until  it  grinds  itself  away. 
I  must  be  something  of  myself,  and  do  something  by  myself; 
for  to  me  some  worthy  aim  in  life  was  ever  a  necessary  con- 
dition. 

"  One  thing  do  for  me,"  said  my  sister,  "  and  you  may  go." 

"  I  will ;  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  You  remember  the  money  sent  from  California  in  return 
for  goods  shipped  by  Mr.  Derby  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"The  money  is  now  so  invested  that  I  am  fearful  of  losing 
it.  Help  me  to  get  it,  then  take  it  and  use  it  in  any  way  you 
think  best." 

"  I  will  help  you  to  get  it,"  said  I,  "  most  certainly,  but  I 
could  not  sleep  knowing  that  your  comfort  depended  on  my 


THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H,  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY.    75 

success.  I  may  be  honest  and  capable,  and  yet  fail.  I  may 
woo  fortune,  but  I  cannot  command  her.  The  risk  is  alto- 
gether too  great  for  you  to  take." 

"  Nevertheless  I  will  take  it,"  replied  my  noble  sister,  and 
in  that  decision  she  fixed  my  destiny. 

After  some  little  difficulty  we  succeeded  in  drawing  the 
money,  five  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  which  sum  was 
placed  in  my  hands.  I  then  asked  her  if  she  would  accept  a 
partnership  in  my  proposed  undertaldng;  but  she  answered 
no,  she  would  prefer  my  note,  made  payable  in  five  or  six 
years,  with  interest  at  the  rate  of  one  per  cent,  a  month. 

Now  it  was  that  I  determined  to  execute  the  original  plan 
formed  by  Mr.  Derby,  in  pursuance  of  which  I  first  went  to 
California ;  and  that  with  the  very  money,  I  might  say,  em- 
ployed by  him,  this  being  the  proceeds  of  his  original  ship- 
ments— only,  I  would  lay  the  foundations  broader  than  he 
had  done,  establish  at  once  a  credit,  for  without  that  my 
capital  would  not  go  far,  and  plant  myself  in  San  Francisco 
with  aspirations  high  and  determination  fixed,  as  became  one 
who  would  win  or  die  in  the  first  city  of  the  Pacific  seaboard. 

There  was  a  man  in  New  York,  Mr.  John  C.  Barnes,  who 
had  been  a  warm  friend  of  Mr.  Derby.  To  him  my  sister  gave 
me  a  letter  of  introduction,  with  which,  and  drafts  for  fifty- 
five  hundred  dollars,  she  sent  me  forth  to  seek  my  fortune. 
Mr.  Barnes  was  partner  in  the  large  stationery  house  of  Ames, 
Herrick,  Barnes,  and  Rhoads.  I  found  him  very  affable, 
stated  to  him  my  plans,  deposited  with  him  my  drafts,  and 
received  the  assurance  that  everything  possible  should  be 
done  to  forward  my  wishes.  First  of  all,  I  wanted  to  estab- 
lish business  relations  with  the  leading  publishers  of  the  east. 
I  wanted  the  lowest  prices  and  the  longest  time — the  lowest 
prices  so  that  what  I  was  necessarily  obliged  to  add  should 
not  place  my  stock  beyond  the  reach  of  consumers,  and  the 
longest  time  because  four  or  six  months  were  occupied  in 
transportation. 

California  credit  in  New  York  at  that  time  rated  low,  as 
elsewhere  I  have  observed.     Nearly  every  one  I  met  had 


76  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

lost,  some  of  them  very  heavily,  either  by  flood,  or  fire,  or 
failure.  Some  of  their  customers  had  proved  dishonest, 
others  unfortunate,  and  a  curse  seemed  attached  to  the 
country  from  which  at  one  time  so  much  had  been  expected. 
I  told  them  I  was  starting  fresh,  untrammelled,  with  every- 
thing in  my  favor,  and  I  believed  I  could  succeed;  that  they 
had  met  with  dishonest  men  did  not  prove  every  man  dis- 
honest ;  and  because  they  had  lost  it  did  not  follow  that  they 
were  always  to  lose.  I  might  have  added,  if  at  that  time  I 
had  known  enough  of  the  manner  of  eastern  merchants  in 
dealing  with  the  California  market,  that  for  nine-tenths  of  their 
losses  they  had  only  themselves  to  blame,  for  after  selling  to 
legitimate  dealers  all  the  goods  necessary  for  the  full  supply 
of  the  market,  they  would  throw  into  auction  on  their  own 
account  in  San  Francisco  such  quantities  of  merchandise  as 
would  break  prices  and  entail  loss  on  themselves  and  ruin  on 
their  customers.  All  the  blame  attending  California  credit 
did  not  belong  to  Californians,  although  the  disgrace  might 
be  laid  only  on  them;  but  the  shippers  of  New  York  and 
Boston  knew  a  trick  or  two  as  well  as  the  merchants  of  San 
Francisco. 

At  all  events,  before  these  croakers  decided  against  me,  or 
persisted  in  their  fixed  purpose  never  to  sell  a  dollar's  worth 
of  goods  to  Californians^  without  first  receiving  the  dollar,  I 
begged  them  to  see  Mr.  Barnes  and  ascertain  what  he  thought 
of  it.  This  they  were  ready  to  promise,  if  nothing  more ;  and 
the  consequence  was  that  when  I  called  the  second  time 
almost  every  one  was  ready  to  sell  me  all  the  goods  I  would 
buy.  From  that  day  my  credit  was  established,  becoming 
firmer  with  time,  and  ever  afterward  it  Avas  my  first  and  con- 
stant care  to  keep  it  good.  "  A  good  credit,  but  used  spar- 
ingly ;  "  that  was  my  motto.  At  this  time  I  did  not  buy 
largely,  only  about  ten  thousand  dollars'  worth,  preferring  to 
wait  till  I  became  better  acquainted  with  the  market  before 
ordering  heavily.  This  was  in  June.  My  goods  shipped,  I 
returned  to  Auburn,  there  to  sj)end  the  few  months  pending 
the  passage  of  the  vessel  round  Cape  Horn  rather  than  await 


THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H.  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY.    77 

its  arrival  in  California.     And  very  pleasantly  passed  this 
time  with  the  blood  warm  and  hope  high. 

October  saw  me  again  en  route  for  San  Francisco.  I  found 
Mr.  Kenny  occupying  his  old  store  with  a  small  stock  of 
goods  belonging  to  Mr.  Le  Count.  I  told  him  to  settle  his 
business  and  come  with  me,  and  he  did  so.  We  engaged  the 
room  adjoining,  near  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Mer- 
chant streets,  where  ten  years  before  a  yerba-buena  bordered 
sand-bank  was  washed  by  the  tide-waters  of  the  bay.  Our 
stock  arriving  shortly  after  in  good  order,  we  opened  it  and 
began  business  under  the  firm  name  of  H.  H.  Bancroft  and 
Company  about  the  first  of  December,  1856.  There  was 
nothing  peculiar  in  the  shop,  its  contents,  business,  or  pro- 
prietors, that  I  am  aware  of.  During  the  closing  weeks  of 
the  year,  and  the  opening  months  of  the  year  following,  the 
inside  was  exposed  to  the  weather  while  the  building  was 
taking  on  a  new  front ;  but  in  such  a  climate  this  was  no 
hardship.  At  night  we  closed  the  opening  with  empty  boxes, 
and  I  turned  into  a  cot  bed  under  the  counter  to  sleep ; 
in  the  morning  I  arose,  removed  the  boxes,  swept  the  prem- 
ises, put  the  stock  in  order,  breakfasted,  and  was  then  ready 
to  post  books,  sell  goods,  or  carry  bundles,  according  to  the 
requirements  of  the  hour. 

We  let  two  offices,  and  thus  reduced  our  rent  one  third, 
the  original  sum  being  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month. 
With  the  constant  fear  of  failure  before  me,  I  worked  and 
watched  unceasingly.  Mr.  Kenny  was  salesman,  for  he  was 
much  more  familiar  with  the  business  than  I ;  he  possessed 
many  friends  and  had  already  a  good  trade  established. 
Affairs  advanced  smoothly;  we  worked  hard  and  made 
money,  first  slowly,  then  faster.  Times  were  exceedingly 
dull.  Year  after  year  the  gold  crop  had  diminished ;  or  if 
not  diminished,  it  required  twice  the  labor  and  capital  to  pro- 
duce former  results.  Stocks  had  accumulated,  merchants  had 
fallen  in  arrears,  and  business  depression  was  far  greater  than 
at  any  time  since  the  discovery  of  gold.     In  the  vernacular 


78  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

of  the  day,  trade  had  touched  bottom.  But  hard  times  are 
the  very  best  of  times  in  which  to  plant  and  nourish  a  perma- 
nent business.  Hard  times  lead  to  careful  trading  and  thrift; 
flush  times  to  recklessness  and  overdoing.  On  every  side  of 
us  old  firms  were  falling  to  pieces,  and  old  merchants  were 
forced  out  of  business.  The  term  "  old  "  was  then  applied  to 
firms  of  five  or  six  years'  standing.  This  made  me  all  the 
more  nervous  about  success.  But  we  had  every  advantage ; 
our  stock  was  good  and  well  bought,  our  credit  excellent, 
our  expenses  light,  and  gradually  the  business  grew. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  first  year  the  idea  struck  me  that 
I  might  use  my  credit  further,  without  assuming  much 
more  responsibility,  by  obtaining  consignments  of  goods  in 
place  of  buying  large  quantities  outright.  But  this  would 
involve  my  going  east  to  make  the  arrangenients,  and,  as 
Mr.  Kenny  would  thus  be  left  alone,  I  proposed  to  Mr. 
Hunt,  whose  acquaintance  had  ripened  into  friendship,  to 
join  us,  contribute  a  certain  amount  of  capital,  and  take 
a  third  interest  in  the  partnership.  The  proposition  was 
accepted.  Mr.  Hunt  came  into  the  firm,  the  name  of 
which  remained  unchanged,  and  soon  after,  that  is  to  say 
in  the  autumn  of  1857,  I  sailed  for  New  York.  My  plan 
was  successful.  I  readily  obtained  goods  on  the  terms 
asked  to  the  amount  of  sixty  or  seventy  thousand  dollars, 
which  added  largely  to  our  facilities. 

Before  returning  to  California,  which  was  in  the  spring 
of  1858,  I  visited  my  parents,  then  hving  as  happily  as 
ever  in  Granville.  My  views  of  life  had  changed  some- 
what since  I  had  left  my  boyhood  home,  and  later  they 
changed  still  more.  I  was  well  enough  satisfied  then  with 
the  choice  I  had  made  in  foregoing  the  benefits  of  a  col- 
lege course,  and  my  mind  is  much  more  clear  upon  the  sub- 
ject now  than  then. 

While  stopping  in  Buffalo  once  more  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Miss  Emily  Ketchum,  daughter  of  a  highly  respected 
and  prominent  citizen  of  the  place,  whom  later  I  married. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H.  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY,    79 

In  January,  1863,  my  wife  made  a  visit  to  her  friends  at 
home,  and  the  following  summer  I  took  a  hurried  trip  to 
London,  Paris,  New  York,  and  Buffalo,  bringing  her  back 
with  me. 

Shortly  after  my  return  to  San  Francisco,  on  account  of 
the  large  additions  to  our  stock,  we  rented  two  rooms  fronting 
on  Merchant  street,  in  the  rear  of  our  store,  cutting  through 
the  partition  wall  to  give  us  access  from  the  Montgomery 
street  store.  Subsequently  we  occupied  the  whole  building 
on  Merchant  street,  forty  by  sixty  feet,  three  stories. 

But  erelong  the  business  had  assumed  such  proportions  that 
more  room  was  absolutely  necessary.  My  friends  had  long 
desired  that  I  should  build,  and  had  been  looking  for  a  suit- 
able place  for  years  without  finding  one.  In  the  selection  of 
a  site  two  points  were  to  be  regarded,  locality  and  depth  of 
lot.  Without  the  one  our  trade  would  suffer,  and  without  the 
other,  in  order  to  obtain  the  amount  of  room  necessary,  so 
much  frontage  on  the  street  would  be  taken  up  as  to  make 
the  property  too  costly  for  the  business  to  carry.  In  regard 
to  the  site,  if  we  could  not  obtain  exactly  what  we  would  like 
we  must  take  what  we  could  get. 

Following  Montgomery  and  Kearny  streets  out  to  Market, 
we  examined  every  piece  of  property  and  found  nothing ; 
then  out  Market  to  Third  street,  and  beyond,  where  after 
some  difficulty,  and  by  paying  a  large  price  to  five  different 
owners,  I  succeeded  in  obtaining  seven  lots  together,  three 
on  Market  street  and  four  on  Stevenson  street,  making 
in  all  a  little  more  than  seventy- five  by  one  hundred  and 
seventy  feet.  This  was  regarded  as  far  beyond  business 
limits  at  the  time,  but  it  was  the  best  I  could  do,  and  in  six 
or  seven  years  a  more  desirable  location  could  not  be  found 
in  the  city. 

It  was  one  of  the  turning-points  of  my  life,  this  move  to 
Market  street.  Had  I  been  of  a  temperament  to  hasten 
less  rapidly ;  had  I  remained  content  to  plod  along  after  the  old 
method,  out  of  debt  and  out  of  danger,  with  no  thought  of 
anything  further  than  accumulation  and  investment,  for  self 


8o  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

and  family,  the  map  of  my  destiny,  as  well  as  that  of  many 
others,  would  present  quite  a  different  appearance.  The  truth 
is,  my  frequent  absence  from  business  had  weaned  me  from 
it — this,  and  the  constantly  recurring  question  which  kept 
forcing  itself  on  my  mind,  "  Is  he  not  worse  than  a  fool  who 
labors  for  more  when  he  has  enough;  worse  than  a  swine 
who  stuffs  himself  when  he  is  already  full  ?  "  If  I  could  turn 
my  back  upon  it  all,  it  would  add  to  my  days,  if  that  were 
any  benefit.  Had  I  known  what  was  before  me  I  should 
probably  have  retired  from  business  at  the  time,  but  in  my 
employ  were  as  fine  a  company  of  young  men,  grown  up  un- 
der my  own  eye  and  teachings,  as  ever  I  saw  in  any  mercan- 
tile establishment,  and  I  had  not  the  heart  to  break  in  pieces 
the  commercial  structure  which  with  their  assistance  I  had 
reared,  and  turn  them  adrift  upon  the  world. 

In  Europe,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I  had  encountered 
a  class  of  people  who  deemed  it  a  disgrace  to  engage  in  trade. 
Many  I  had  seen  who  were  too  proud  or  too  lazy  to  work, 
but  never  before  had  come  to  my  notice  those  who  would 
not  if  they  could  make  money,  though  it  involved  no  manual 
labor.  Here  the  idea  seemed  first  to  strike  me,  and  I  asked 
myself.  Is  there  then  in  this  world  something  better  than 
money  that  these  men  should  scorn  to  soil  their  fingers  with 
it  ?  Now  I  never  yet  was  ashamed  of  my  occupation,  and  I 
hope  never  to  be ;  otherwise  I  should  endeavor  speedily  to 
lay  it  aside.  Nor  do  I  conceive  any  more  disgrace  attached 
to  laboring  with  the  hands  than  with  the  head.  I  feel  no 
more  sense  of  shame  when  carrying  a  bundle  or  nailing  up  a 
box  of  goods  than  when  signing  a  check,  or  writing  history, 
or  riding  in  the  park.  The  consuming  of  my  soul  on  the  al- 
tar of  avarice  I  objected  to,  not  work.  I  have  worked  twice, 
ten  times,  as  hard  writing  books  as  ever  I  did  selling  books. 
But  for  the  occasional  breaking  away  from  business,  long 
enough  for  my  thoughts  to  form  for  themselves  new  chan- 
nels, I  should  have  been  a  slave  to  it  till  this  day,  for  no  one 
was  more  interested  and  absorbed  in  money-making  while 
engaged  in  it  than  I. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H.  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY.    8 1 

In  accordance  with  my  purposes,  then,  historical  and  pro- 
fessional, in  1S69  I  began  building.  Already  I  had  in 
contemplation  a  costly  dwelling,  parts  of  which  had  been 
constructed  in  England  and  at  the  east,  and  shipped  hither 
from  time  to  time,  till  a  great  mass  of  material  had  accumu- 
lated which  must  be  put  together.  I  resolved,  somewhat 
recklessly,  to  make  one  affair  of  it  all,  and  build  a  store  and 
dwelling-house  at  the  same  time,  and  have  done  with  it. 
Times  were  then  good,  business  was  steady,  and  with  the 
experience  of  thirteen  years  behind  me  I  thought  I  could 
calculate  closely  enough  in  money  matters  not  to  be  troubled. 
Consequently  my  plans  were  drawn,  I  ordered  my  material, 
gave  out  contracts  for  the  several  parts,  and  soon  a  hundred 
men  or  more  were  at  work. 

And  now  began  a  series  of  the  severest  trials  of  my  life, 
trials  which  I  gladly  would  have  escaped  in  death,  thanking 
the  merciless  monster  had  he  finished  the  work  which  was 
half  done.  In  December,  1869,  my  wife  died.  Other  men's 
wives  had  died  before,  and  left  them,  I  suppose,  as  crushed 
as  I  was ;  but  mine  had  never  died,  and  I  knew  not  what  it 
w^as  to  disjoin  and  bury  that  part  of  myself 

Occupation  is  the  antidote  to  grief;  give  me  work  or  I 
die ;  work  which  shall  be  to  me  a  nepenthe  to  obliterate  all 
sorrows.  And  work  enough  I  had,  but  it  was  of  the  exas- 
perating and  not  of  the  soothing  kind.  If  I  could  have  shut 
myself  up,  away  from  the  world,  and  absorbed  my  mind  in 
pursuit  of  whatever  was  most  congenial  to  it,  that  would 
have  been  medicine  indeed.  But  this  was  denied  me.  It 
was  building  and  business,  grown  doubly  hateful  now  that 
she  for  whom  I  chiefly  labored  had  gone.  I  stayed  the  work- 
men on  the  house,  and  let  it  stand,  a  ghastly  spectacle  to 
the  neighborhood  for  over  a  year,  and  then  I  finished  it. 

The  business  was  now  one  of  the  most  extensive  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.  It  was  divided  into  nine  departments, 
each  in  charge  of  an  experienced  and  responsible  head,  with 
the  requisite  number  of  assistants,  and  each  in  itself  as  large 
as  an  ordinary  business  in  our  line  of  trade.  But  this  was 
6 


82  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

not  enough.  Thus  far  it  was  purely  a  mercantile  and  publish- 
ing house.  To  make  it  perfect,  complete,  and  symmetrical, 
manufacturing  must  be  added.  This  I  had  long  been  am- 
bitious of  doing,  but  was  prevented  by  lack  of  room.  Now 
this  obstacle  was  removed,  and  I  determined  to  try  the 
experiment.  The  mercantile  stock  was  brought  up  and 
properly  arranged  in  the  different  departments  on  the  first 
and  second  floors  and  basement,  on  one  side  of  the  new 
building.  These  rooms  were  each  thirty-five  by  one  hundred 
and  seventy  feet.  On  the  third  and  fourth  floors  respectively 
were  placed  a  printing-office  and  bookbindery,  each  covering 
the  entire  ground  of  the  building,  seventy-five  by  one  hundred 
and  seventy  feet.  To  accomplish  this  more  easily  and  eco- 
nomicaUy  several  small  establishments  were  purchased  and 
moved  with  their  business  into  the  new  premises,  such  as 
a  printing,  an  engraving,  a  lithographing,  and  a  stationery 
establishment.  A  steam-engine  was  placed  in  the  basement 
to  drive  the  machinery  above,  and  an  artesian  well  was  dug 
to  supply  the  premises  with  water.  A  department  of  music 
and  pianos  was  also  added.  My  library  of  Pacific  coast 
books  was  alphabetically  arranged  on  the  fifth  floor,  which 
was  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  rooms  below.  Then  I 
changed  the  name  of  the  business,  the  initial  letters  only,  my 
responsibility,  however,  remaining  the  same.  The  idea  was 
not  eminently  practicable,  I  will  admit,  that  I  should  expect 
to  remain  at  the  head  of  a  large  and  intricate  business,  in- 
volving many  interests  and  accompanied  by  endless  detail, 
see  it  continue  its  successful  course,  and  at  the  same  time 
Avithdraw  my  thoughts  and  attention  from  it  so  as  to  do 
justice  to  any  literary  or  historical  undertaking.  "  How  dared 
you  undertake  crossing  the  Sierra  ? "  the  pioneer  railroad 
men  were  asked.  "  Because  we  were  not  railroad  men,"  was 
the  reply. 

Thus,  I  felt,  was  ended  the  first  episode  of  my  life.  T  had 
begun  with  nothing,  building  up  by  my  own  individual  ef- 
forts, in  sixteen  years,  a  great  business  of  which  I  might  justly 


THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H.  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY.    83 

feel  proud.  I  had  schooled  from  the  rudiments,  and  carried 
through  all  the  ramifications  and  complications  of  that  busi- 
ness, a  score  and  more  of  active  and  intelligent  young  men, 
each  competent  to  take  the  lead  in  his  department,  and  of 
them  I  was  proud.  Arrived  at  that  estate  where  money-mak- 
ing had  ceased  to  be  the  chief  pleasure,  I  might  now  retire 
into  idleness,  or  begin  life  anew. 

But  this  was  not  yet  to  be.  I  must  first  pay  tlie  penalty 
of  overdoing,  a  penalty  which  in  my  business  career  I  have 
oftener  paid  than  the  penalty  arising  from  lack  of  energy. 
That  I  had  built  simultaneously  a  fine  store  and  an  expensive 
dwelling  was  no  mark  of  folly,  for  I  could  afford  it.  That  I 
had  reorganized  the  business,  spread  it  out  upon  a  new  basis, 
doubled  its  capacity,  and  doubled  its  expenses,  was  no  mark 
of  folly,  for  every  department,  both  mercantile  and  manufac- 
turing, was  in  a  thriving  condition.  There  was  nothing  about 
the  establishment  theoretical,  fanciful,  or  speculative  in  char- 
acter. All  was  eminently  practical,  the  result  of  natural 
growth.  The  business  extended  from  British  Columbia  to 
Mexico,  and  over  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  Japan,  and  China, 
and  reports  from  the  heads  of  the  several  departments  showed 
its  status  every  month.  That  it  should  successfully  carry  us 
through  the  trying  time  which  was  to  follow,  amply  proves 
that  its  condition  was  not  unsound,  nor  its  establishment  on 
such  a  basis  impracticable. 

But  evil  days  were  at  hand,  following  closely  on  the  open- 
ing of  the  Pacific  railway.  This  grand  event,  so  ardently 
desired,  and  so  earnestly  advocated  on  both  sides  of  the 
continent  since  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  Anglo- 
Americans,  was  celebrated  as  if  the  millennium  had  come ; 
and  every  one  thought  it  had.  There  were  many  afterward 
who  said  they  knew  and  affirmed  it  at  the  time  that  at  first 
this  road  would  bring  nothing  but  financial  disaster  and  ruin 
to  Cahfomia,  but  before  such  disaster  and  ruin  came  I  for 
one  heard  nothing  of  its  approach.  On  the  contrary,  though 
prices  of  real  estate  were  already  inflated,  and  the  city  had 
been  laid  out  in  homestead  lots  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles 


84  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

round,  and  sold  at  rates  suitable  to  a  population  of  three  mil- 
lions, the  universal  impression  was  that  prices  would  go 
higher,  and  that  every  one  on  the  completion  of  the  railway 
would  be  rich.  But  every  one  did  not  become  rich.  Every 
one  wanted  to  sell,  and  could  not,  and  there  was  a  general 
collapse.  For  five  years  the  best  and  most  central  property 
remained  stationary,  with  scarcely  a  movement  in  all  that 
time,  while  outside  property  fell  in  some  cases  to  one-tenth 
of  its  former  estimated  value. 

Business  was  likewise  revolutionized.  As  soon  as  the  railway 
was  in  running  order  the  attention  of  buyers  throughout  the 
country,  large  and  small,  was  turned  toward  the  east.  "  We 
can  now  purchase  in  New  York  as  well  as  in  San  Francisco," 
they  said,  "  and  save  one  profit."  Consequently  prices  in 
San  Francisco  fell  far  below  remunerative  rates,  and  the  ques- 
tion with  our  jobbers  was,  not  whether  they  could  make  as 
much  money  as  formerly,  but  whether  they  could  do  business 
at  all.  Some  classes  of  business  were  obliged  to  succumb, 
and  many  merchants  failed.  Large  stocks  accumulated  at 
low  rates  during  the  war,  when  currency  was  at  a  discount  of 
from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  cent.,  were  thrown  upon  the 
market,  and  prices  of  many  articles  ruled  far  below  the  cost 
of  production.  Thus,  with  heavy  expenses  and  no  profits, 
aftairs  began  to  look  ominous.  At  such  times  a  large  broadly 
extended  business  is  much  more  unwieldy  than  a  small  one. 
Certain  expenses  are  necessary;  it  is  impossible  to  reduce 
them  in  proportion  to  the  shrinkage  of  prices  and  the  stag- 
nation of  trade. 

More  was  yet  to  come.  As  all  Californians  well  know,  the 
prosperity  of  a  season  depends  on  the  rainfall.  Sometimes 
the  effects  of  one  dry  winter  may  be  bridged  over  by  a  pros- 
perous year  before  and  after.  But  when  two  or  three  dry 
seasons  come  together  the  result  is  most  disastrous,  and  a 
year  or  two  of  favorable  rains  are  usually  required  before  the 
State  entirely  recovers.  As  if  to  try  the  endurance  of  our  mer- 
chants to  the  utmost,  three  dry  winters  and  five  long  years 
of  hard  times  followed  the  opening  of  the  railway.    That  so 


THE  HOUSE  OF  H.  H.  BANCROFT  AND  COMPANY.    85 

many  lived  through  them  is  the  wonder.  That  my  business 
especiaUy  did  not  fail,  with  such  an  accumulation  of  untoward 
circumstances,  proved  conclusively  that  it  was  sound  and  well 
managed.  Building  has  ruined  many  a  man ;  I  had  built. 
Branching  out  has  ruined  many  a  man;  I  had  branched. 
The  fall  in  real  estate,  the  revolution  in  profits  incident  to  the 
opening  of  the  railway,  and  the  dry  seasons,  each  of  these 
severally  has  ruined  many  men.  All  these  came  upon  me  at 
one  time,  and  yet  the  house  lived  through  it. 

It  may  easily  be  seen  that  to  draw  one's  mind  from  business 
at  such  a  time  and  fix  it  on  literary  pursuits  was  no  easy  mat- 
ter. Cares,  like  flies,  buzz  perpetually  in  one's  ears ;  lock  the 
door,  and  they  creep  in  tlirough  invisible  apertures.  Yet  I  at- 
tempted it,  though  at  first  with  indifferent  success.  The  work 
on  the  fifth  floor,  hereafter  to  be  described,  was  not  always 
regarded  with  favor  by  those  of  the  other  floors.  It  drew 
money  from  the  business,  which  remaining  might  be  the  means 
of  saving  it  from  destruction.  It  allured  the  attention  of  one 
whose  presence  might  be  the  salvation  of  the  establishment. 
After  all  it  was  but  a  hobby,  and  would  result  in  neither  profit 
nor  honor.  Of  course  I  could  do  as  I  liked  with  my  own, 
but  was  it  not  folly  to  jeopardize  the  life  of  the  business  to 
gain  a  few  years  of  time  for  profitless  work  ?  Would  it  not 
be  better  to  wait  till  times  were  better,  till  money  could  be 
spared,  and  danger  was  passed  ? 

Although  the  years  of  financial  uncertainty  that  followed 
the  completion  of  the  railway  were  thus  gloomy  and  depress- 
ing, yet  I  persisted.  Day  after  day,  and  year  after  year,  I 
lavished  time  and  money  in  the  vain  attempt  to  accomplish 
I  knew  not  what.  It  was  something  I  desired  to  do,  and  I 
was  determined  to  find  out  what  it  was,  and  then  to  do  it  if 
I  could.  Although  my  mind  was  in  anything  but  a  suitable 
condition  for  the  task,  I  felt  in  no  mood  to  wait.  Every  day 
or  month  or  year  delayed  was  so  much  taken  from  my  life. 
My  age — thirty-seven  or  thereabout  —  was  somewhat  ad- 
vanced for  undertaking  a  literary  work  of  great  magnitude, 
and  no  time  must  be  lost.     Such  was  my  infatuation  that  I 


86  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

would  not  have  hesitated,  any  moment  these  dozen  years, 
had  the  question  arisen  to  abandon  the  business  or  my  plan, 
I  did  not  consider  it  right  to  bring  disaster  on  others,  but  I 
never  believed  that  such  a  result  would  follow  my  course. 
True,  it  is  one  thing  to  originate  a  business  and  quite  another 
to  maintain  it ;  yet  I  felt  that  the  heads  of  departments  were 
competent  to  manage  affairs,  reporting  to  me  every  month. 
The  business  was  paying  well,  and  I  would  restrict  my  ex- 
penditure in  every  way  rather  than  forego  or  delay  a  work 
which  had  become  dearer  to  me  than  life.  So  I  toiled  on 
with  greater  or  less  success,  oftentimes  with  a  heavy  heart 
and  a  heated  brain,  tired  out,  discouraged,  not  knowing  if  ever 
I  should  be  permitted  to  complete  anything  I  had  under- 
taken, in  which  event  all  would  be  lost. 

In  time,  however,  the  clouds  cleared  away  ;  the  wheels  of 
business  revolved  with  smoothness  and  regularity ;  my  work 
assumed  shape,  part  of  it  was  finished  and  praised ;  letters 
of  encouragement  came  pouring  in  like  healthful  breezes  to 
the  heated  brow;  I  acquired  a  name,  and  all  men  smiled 
upon  me. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO  BIBLIOPHILE. 

Still  am  I  besy  bokes  assemblynge ; 

For  to  have  plenty,  it  is  a  pleasaunt  thynge. — Brandt. 

IN  1859,  one  William  H.  Knight,  then  in  my  service  as  edi- 
tor and  compiler  of  statistical  works  relative  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  was  engaged  in  preparing  the  Hand-Book  Almanac  for 
the  year  i860.  From  time  to  time  he  asked  me  for  certain 
books  required  for  the  work.  It  occurred  to  me  that  we 
should  probably  have  frequent  occasion  to  refer  to  books  on 
California,  Oregon,  Washington,  and  Utah,  and  that  it  might 
be  more  convenient  to  have  them  altogether.  I  always  had 
a  taste,  more  pleasant  than  profitable,  for  publishing  books, 
for  conceiving  a  work  and  having  it  wrought  out  under  my 
direction.  To  this  taste  may  be  attributed  the  origin  of  half 
the  books  published  in  California  during  the  first  twenty  years 
of  its  existence  as  a  State,  if  we  except  law  reports,  legislative 
proceedings,  directories,  and  compilations  of  that  character. 
Yet  1  have  seldom  published  anything  but  law-books  that  did 
not  result  in  a  loss  of  money.  Books  for  general  reading, 
miscellaneous  books  in  trade  vernacular,  even  if  intrinsically 
good,  found  few  purchasers  in  California.  The  field  was  not 
large  enough ;  there  were  not  enough  book  buyers  to  absorb 
an  edition  of  any  work,  except  a  law-book,  or  a  book  intended 
as  a  working  tool  for  a  class.  Lawyers  like  solid  leverage, 
and  in  the  absence  of  books  they  are  powerless ;  they  cannot 
afford  to  be  without  them ;  they  buy  them  as  mill-men  buy 
stones  to  grind  out  toll  withal.  Physicians  do  not  require  so 
many  books,  but  some  have  fine  libraries.  Two  or  three  medi- 
cal books  treating  of  climate  and  diseases  peculiar  to  California 

87 


88  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

have  been  published  in  this  country  with  tolerable  success ; 
but  the  medical  man  is  by  no  means  so  dependent  on  books 
as  the  man  of  law  —  that  is  to  say,  alter  he  has  once  finished 
his  studies  and  is  established  in  practice.  His  is  a  profession 
dependent  more  on  intuition  and  natural  insight  into  charac- 
ter and  causations,  and  above  all,  on  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  case,  and  the  closest  watchfulness  in  conducting  it 
through  intricate  and  ever-changing  complications.  Poetry 
has  often  been  essayed  in  California,  for  the  most  part  dog- 
gerel ;  yet  should  Byron  come  here  and  publish  for  the  first 
time  his  Childe  Harold,  it  would  not  find  buyers  enough  to 
pay  the  printer.  Even  Tuthill's  History  of  California,  vigor- 
ously offered  by  subscription,  did  not  return  the  cost  of 
plates,  paper,  presswork,  and  binding.  He  who  dances 
must  pay  the  fiddler.  Either  the  author  or  the  publisher 
must  make  up  his  mind  to  remunerate  the  printer;  the 
people  will  not  till  there  are  more  of  them,  and  with  dif- 
ferent tastes. 

By  having  all  the  material  on  California  together,  so  that 
I  could  see  what  had  been  done,  I  w^as  enabled  to  form  a 
clearer  idea  of  what  might  be  done  in  the  way  of  book-pub- 
lishing on  this  coast.  Accordingly  I  requested  Mr.  Knight 
to  clear  the  shelves  around  his  desk,  and  to  them  I  transferred 
every  book  I  could  find  in  my  stock  having  reference  to  this 
country.  I  succeeded  in  getting  together  some  fifty  or 
seventy-five  volumes.  This  was  the  origin  of  my  library, 
sometimes  called  the  Pacific  Library,  but  latterly  the  Ban- 
croft Library.  I  looked  at  the  volumes  thus  brought  to- 
gether,* and  remarked  to  Mr.  Knight,  "  That  is  doing  very 
well ;  I  did  not  imagine  there  were  so  many." 

I  thought  no  more  of  the  matter  till  some  time  afterward, 
happening  in  at  the  bookstore  of  Epes  Ellery,  on  Washington 
street,  called  antiquarian  because  he  dealt  in  second-hand 
books,  though  of  recent  dates,  my  eyes  lighted  on  some 
pamphlets,  printed  at  different  times  in  California,  and  it 
occurred  to  me  to  add  them  to  the  Pacific  coast  books  over 
Mr.  Knight's  desk.     This  I   did,  and  then  examined  more 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST    TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  89 

thoroughly  the  stocks  of  EUery,  Carrie  and  Damon,  and  the 
Noisy  Canier,  and  purchased  one  copy  each  of  all  the  books, 
pamphlets,  magazines,  and  pictures  touching  the  subject. 
Afterward  I  found  myself  looking  over  the  contents  of  other 
shops  about  town,  and  stopping  at  the  stands  on  the  side- 
walk, and  buying  any  scrap  of  a  kindred  nature  which  I  did 
not  have.  Frequently  I  would  encounter  old  books  in  auc- 
tion stores,  and  pamphlets  in  lawyers'  offices,  which  I  imme- 
diately bought  and  added  to  my  collection.  The  next  time 
I  visited  the  east,  Avithout  taking  any  special  trouble  to  seek 
them,  I  secured  from  the  second-hand  stores  and  bookstalls 
of  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  whatever  fell  under 
my  observation. 

Bibliomaniac  I  was  not.  Duplicates,  fine  bindings,  and- 
rare  editions  seemed  to  me  of  less  importance  than  the'\ 
subject-matter  of  the  work.  To  collect  books  in  an  object- 
less, desultory  manner  is  not  profitable  to  either  mind  or 
purse.  Book  collecting  without  a  purpose  m.ay  be  to  some 
a  fascinating  pastime,  but  give  it  an  object  and  you  endow 
it  with  dignity.  Not  half  the  books  printed  are  ever  read ; 
not  half  the  books  sold  are  bought  to  be  read.  Least  of 
all  in  the  rabid  bibliomaniac  need  we  look  for  the  w^ell-read 
man.  It  is  true  that  thus  far,  and  for  years  afterward,  I 
had  no  well  defined  object,  further  than  the  original  and 
insignificant  one,  in  gathering  these  books;  but  with  the 
growth  of  the  collection  came  the  purpose.  Accident  first 
drew  me  into  it,  and  I  continued  the  pastime  with  vague 
intent.  "  Very  generally,"  says  Herbert  Spencer,  •'  when  a 
man  begins  to  accumulate  books  he  ceases  to  make  much 
use  of  them " ;  or,  as  Disraeli  puts  it :  "A  passion  for  col- 
lecting books  is  not  ahvays  a  passion  for  literature." 

I  had  a  certain  vague  purpose  at  the  beginning,  though 
that  was  speedily  overshadowed  by  the  magnitude  the  mat- 
ter had  assumed  as  the  volumes  increased.  I  recognized 
that  nothing  I  could  ever  accomplish  in  the  way  of  publish- 
ing would  warrant  such  an  outlay  as  I  was  then  making. 
It  was  not  long  before  any  idea  I  may  have  entertained  in 


90  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

the  way  of  pecuniary  return  was  abandoned ;  there  was  no 
money  in  making  the  collection,  or  in  any  literary  work  con- 
nected with  it.  Yet  certain  books  I  knew  to  be  intrinsi- 
cally valuable ;  old,  rare,  and  valuable  books  would  increase 
rather  than  diminish  in  value,  and  as  I  came  upon  them 
from  time  to  time  I  thought  it  best  to  secure  all  there  were 
relating  to  this  coast.  After  all  the  cost  in  money  was  not 
much;  it  was  the  time  that  counted;  and  the  time,  might 
it  not  be  as  profitable  so  spent  as  in  sipping  sugared  water 
on  the  Paris  boulevard,  or  in  the  insipid  sweets  of  fashion- 
able society  ?  It  was  understood  from  the  first  that  nothing 
in  my  collection  was  for  sale;  sometime,  I  thought,  the 
whole  might  be  sold  to  a  library  or  public  institution;  but 
I  would  wait,  at  least,  until  the  collection  was  complete. 

I  had  now,  perhaps,  a  thousand  volumes,  and  began  to 
be  pretty  well  satisfied  with  my  efforts.  When,  however,  in 
1862  I  visited  London  and  Paris,  and  rummaged  the  enor- 
mous stocks  of  second-hand  books  in  the  hundreds  of  stores 
of  that  class,  my  eyes  began  to  open.  I  had  much  more  yet 
to  do.  And  so  it  was,  when  the  collection  had  reached  one 
thousand  volumes  I  fancied  I  had  them  all ;  when  it  had 
grown  to  five  thousand  I  saw  it  was  but  begun.  As  my 
time  was  short  I  could  then  do  little  beyond  glancing  at  the 
most  important  stocks  and  filling  a  dozen  cases  or  so ;  but  I 
determined  as  soon  as  I  could  command  the  leisure  to  make 
a  thorough  search  all  over  Europe  and  complete  my  collection, 
if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  which  now  for  the  first  time  I  seri- 
ously began  to  doubt. 

This  opportunity  occurred  in  1866,  when  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  have  in  every  department  others  competent  to  take 
charge  of  the  business.  On  the  17th  of  August  I  landed 
with  my  wife  at  Queenstown,  spent  a  week  in  Dublin,  passed 
from  the  Giant's  causeway  to  Belfast  and  Edinburgh,  and 
after  the  tour  of  the  lakes  proceeded  to  London.  In  Ireland 
and  Scotland  I  found  little  or  nothing;  indeed  I  visited  those 
countries  for  pleasure  rather  than  for  books.  In  London, 
however,  the  book  mart  of  the  world  —  as  in  fact  it  is  the 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIDLIOPHILE.  9I 

mart  of  most  other  things  bought  and  sold  —  I  might  feed 
my  desires  to  the  full. 

During  all  this  time  my  mind  had  dwelt  more  and  more 
upon  the  subject,  and  the  vague  idea  of  merely  collecting 
materials  for  history,  which  originally  floated  through  my 
brain,  began  to  assume  more  definite  proportions,  though  I 
had  no  thought,  as  yet,  of  ever  attempting  to  write  history 
myself.  But  I  w^as  obliged  to  think  more  or  less  on  the  mat- 
ter in  order  to  determine  the  limits  of  my  collection.  So 
far  I  had  searched  little  for  Mexican  literature.  Books  on 
Lower  California  and  northern  Mexico  I  had  bought,  but 
Mexican  history  and  archaeology  proper  had  been  passed 
over.  Now  the  question  arose,  Where  shall  I  draw  the  divid- 
ing line  ?  The  history  of  California  dates  back  to  the  days 
of  Cortes ;  or  more  properly,  it  begins  with  the  expeditions 
directed  northward  by  Nuho  de  Guzman,  in  1530,  and  the 
gradual  occupation,  during  two  and  a  quarter  centuries,  of 
Nueva  Galicia,  Nueva  Vizcaya,  and  the  Cahfomias.  The 
deeds  of  Guzman,  his  companions,  and  his  successors,  the 
disastrous  attempts  of  the  great  Hernan  Cortes  to  explore  the 
Pacific  seaboard,  and  the  spiritual  conquests  of  the  new  lands 
by  the  Society  of  Jesus,  I  found  recorded  in  surviving  frag- 
ments of  secular  and  ecclesiastical  archives,  in  the  numerous 
original  papers  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  and  in  the  standard 
works  of  such  writers  as  Mota  Padilla,  Ribas,  Alegre,  Frejes, 
Arricivita,  and  Beaumont,  or,  of  Baja  California  especially, 
in  Venegas,  Clavigero,  Baegert,  and  one  or  two  important 
anonymous  authorities.  The  Jesuits  were  good  chroniclers ; 
their  records,  though  diffuse,  are  very  complete;  and  from 
them,  by  careful  work,  may  be  formed  a  satisfactory  picture 
of  the  period  they  represent. 

Hence,  to  gather  all  the  material  requisite  for  a  complete 
narrative  of  events  bearing  on  California,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  include  a  large  part  of  the  early  history  of  Mexico, 
since  the  two  were  so  blended  as  to  make  it  impossible  to 
separate  them.  This  I  ascertained  in  examining  books  for 
California  material  alone.     It  was  my  custom  when  collect- 


92  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

ing  to  glance  through  any  book  which  I  thought  might 
contain  information  on  the  territory  marked  out.  I  made 
it  no  part  of  my  duty  at  this  time  to  inquire  into  the  nature 
or  quahty  of  the  production;  it  might  be  the  soundest 
science  or  the  sickHest  of  sentimental  fiction.  I  did  not 
stop  to  consider,  I  did  not  care,  whether  the  book  was 
of  any  value  or  not;  it  was  easier  and  cheaper  to  buy  it 
than  to  spend  time  in  examining  its  value.  Besides,  in 
making  such  a  collection  it  is  impossible  to  determine  at 
a  glance  what  is  of  value  and  what  is  not.  The  most 
worthless  trash  may  prove  some  fact  wherein  the  best  book 
is  deficient,  and  this  makes  the  trash  valuable.  In  no  other 
way  could  I  have  made  the  collection  so  speedily  perfect; 
so  perfect,  indeed,  that  I  have  often  been  astonished,  in 
Avriting  on  a  subject  or  an  epoch,  to  find  how  few  impor- 
tant books  were  lacking.  An  investigator  should  have  be- 
fore him  all  that  has  been  said  upon  his  subject;  he  will 
then  make  such  use  of  it  as  his  judgment  dictates.  Nearly 
every  work  in  existence,  or  which  was  referred  to  by  the 
various  authorities,  I  found  on  my  shelves.  And  this  was 
the  result  of  my  method  of  collecting,  which  was  to  buy 
everything  I  could  obtain,  with  the  view  of  winnowing  the 
information  at  my  leisure. 

Gradually  and  almost  imperceptibly  had  the  area  of  my 
eftbrts  enlarged.  From  Oregon  it  was  but  a  step  to  British 
Columbia  and  Alaska;  and  as  I  was  obliged  for  authorities 
on  California  to  go  to  "Mexico  and  Spain,  it  finally  became 
settled  to  my  mind  to  make  the  western  half  of  North  Amer- 
ica my  field,  including  in  it  the  whole  of  Mexico  and  Cen- 
tral America,  And  thereupon  I  searched  the  histories  of 
Europe  for  information  concerning  their  New  World  rela- 
tions; and  the  archives  of  Spain,  Italy,  France,  and  Great 
Britain  were  in  due  time  examined. 

In  London  I  spent  about  three  months,  and  went  faithfully 
through  every  catalogue  and  every  stock  of  books  likely  to 
contain  anything  on  the  Pacific  coast.     Of  these  there  were 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  93 

several  score,  new  and  old.  It  was  idle  to  enter  a  shop  and 
ask  the  keeper  if  he  had  any  works  on  California,  Mexico,  or 
the  Hawaiian  islands :  the  answer  was  invariably  No.  And 
though  I  might  pick  up  half  a  dozen  books  under  his  very 
eyes,  the  answer  would  still  be,  if  you  asked  him,  No.  Cali- 
fornia is  a  long  way  from  London,  much  farther  than  London 
is  from  California.  None  but  a  very  intelligent  bookseller 
in  London  knows  where  to  look  for  printed  information  con- 
cerning California.  The  only  way  is  to  examine  catalogues 
and  search  through  stocks,  trusting  to  no  one  but  yourself. 

Believing  that  a  bibliography  of  the  Pacific  States  would 
not  only  greatly  assist  me  in  my  search  for  books  but  would 
also  be  a  proper  thing  to  publish  some  day,  I  employed  a  man 
to  search  the  principal  libraries,  such  as  the  library  of  the 
British  Museum  and  the  library  of  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society,  and  make  a  transcript  of  the  title  of  every  book, 
manuscript,  pamphlet,  and  magazine  article,  touching  this 
territory,  with  brief  notes  or  memoranda  on  the  subject-mat- 
ter. It  was  necessary  that  the  person  employed  should  be  a 
good  scholar,  familiar  with  books,  and  have  at  his  command 
several  languages.  The  person  employed  v.^as  Joseph  Walden, 
engaged  by  my  agent,  J.  Whitaker,  proprietor  of  77/,?  Book- 
seller, who  also  superintended  the  work,  which  was  continued 
during  the  three  months  I  remained  in  London,  and  for  about 
eight  months  thereafter.  The  titles  and  abstracts  were  en- 
tered upon  paper  cards  about  four  inches  square ;  or,  if  one 
work  contained  more  matter  than  could  be  properly  de- 
scribed within  that  space,  the  paper  would  be  cut  in  strips  of 
a  uniform  width,  but  of  the  requisite  length,  and  folded  to 
the  uniform  size.  The  cost  of  this  catalogue  was  a  little  over 
a  thousand  dollars.  In  consulting  material  in  these  libraries, 
which  contain  much  that  exists  nowhere  else,  this  list  is  in- 
valuable as  a  guide  to  the  required  information.  It  might 
be  supposed  that  the  printed  catalogues  of  the  respective 
libraries  would  give  their  titles  in  such  a  way  as  to  designate 
the  contents  of  the  v/orks  listed,  but  this  is  not  always  the 
case.     The  plan  adopted  by  me  was  to  have  any  book  or 


94  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

manuscript,  and  all  periodicals  and  journals  of  societies,  likely 
to  contain  desired  information,  carefully  examined,  the  leaves 
turned  over  one  by  one,  and  notes  made  of  needed  material. 
By  this  means  I  could  at  once  learn  where  the  material  was, 
what  it  was,  and  turn  to  the  book  and  page. 

From  London  I  went  to  Paris,  and  searched  the  stalls,  an- 
tiquarian warehouses,  and  catalogues,  in  the  same  careful 
manner.  I  found  much  material  obtainable  in  no  other  way, 
but  it  was  small  in  comparison  with  what  I  had  secured  in 
London.  Dibdin  speaks  of  a  house  in  Paris,  the  Debures, 
bibliopohsts,  dealers  in  rare  books,  who  would  never  print  a 
catalogue.  It  was  not  altogether  folly  that  prompted  the 
policy,  for  obvious  reasons.  Leaving  Paris  the  3d  of  January, 
1867,  I  proceeded  to  Spain,  full  of  sanguine  anticipations. 
There  I  expected  to  find  much  relating  to  Mexico  at  the  stalls 
for  old  books,  but  soon  learned  that  everything  of  value  found 
its  way  to  London.  It  has  been  said  that  in  London  articles 
of  any  description  will  bring  a  price  nearer  their  true  value 
than  anywhere  else  in  the  world.  This  I  know  to  be  true 
of  books.  I  have  in  my  library  little  old  worthless-looking 
volumes  that  cost  me  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  each  in 
London,  and  which,  if  oftered  at  auction  in  San  Francisco, 
would  sell  for  twenty-five  or  fifty  cents,  unless  some  intelligent 
persons  who  understood  books  happened  to  be  present,  in 
which  case  competition  might  raise  the  price  to  five  dollars. 
On  the  other  hand,  that  which  cost  a  half  dollar  in  London 
might  sell  for  five  dollars  in  San  Francisco. 

There  were  not  three  men  in  Cahfornia,  I  venture  to  say, 
who  at  that  time  knew  anything  either  of  the  intrinsic  or 
marketable  value  of  old  books.  Booksellers  knew  the  least. 
I  certainly  have  had  experience  both  as  dealer  and  as  collec- 
tor, but  I  profess  to  know  little  about  the  value  of  ancient 
works,  other  than  those  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  buy. 
Let  me  pick  up  a  volume  of  the  Latin  classics,  for  example, 
or  of  Dutch  voyages,  and  ask  the  price.  If  the  book  were  as 
large  as  I  could  lift,  and  the  shopman  told  me  half  a  crown, 
I  should  think  it  much  material  for  the  money,  and  I  should 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  95 

not  question  the  integrity  of  the  shopman ;  if  the  book  were 
small  enough  for  the  vest  pocket,  and  the  seller  charged  me 
twenty  pounds  for  it,  I  should  think  it  right,  and  that  there 
must  be  real  value  about  it  in  some  way,  otherwise  the  man 
would  not  ask  so  much.  There  may  be  six  or  eight  dealers 
in  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  who  know  something 
of  the  value  of  ancient  books ;  but  aside  from  these,  among 
the  trade  throughout  America,  I  doubt  if  there  are  three.  A 
collector,  devoting  himself  to  a  specialty,  may  learn  something 
by  experience,  by  looking  over  his  bills  and  paying  them,  re- 
garding the  value  of  books  in  the  direction  of  his  collecting, 
but  that  must  be  a  small  part  of  the  whole  range  of  the  science 
of  bibliography. 

I  thought  the  London  shopkeepers  were  sufficiently  apa- 
thetic, but  they  are  sprightly  in  comparison  with  the  Spanish 
bookseller.  To  the  average  Spanish  bookseller  Paris  and 
London  are  places  bordering  on  the  mythical;  if  he  really 
believes  them  to  exist,  they  are  mapped  in  his  mind  with  the 
most  vague  indistinctness.  As  to  a  knowledge  of  books 
and  booksellers'  shops  in  those  places,  there  are  but  few 
pretensions. 

Opening  on  the  main  plaza  of  Burgos,  which  was  filled 
with  some  of  the  most  miserable  specimens  of  muffled 
humanity  I  ever  encountered — cutthroat,  villainous-looking 
men  and  women  in  robes  of  sewed  rags  —  were  two  small 
shops,  in  which  not  only  books  and  newspapers  were  sold, 
but  traps  and  trinkets  of  various  kinds.  There  I  found  a 
few  pamphlets  which  spoke  of  Mexico.  Passing  through  a 
Californian-looking  country  we  entered  Madrid,  the  town  of 
tobacco  and  bull-fights.  If  bookselling  houses  are  signifi- 
cant of  the  intelligence  of  the  people,  then  culture  in  Spain 
is  at  a  low  ebb. 

The  first  three  days  in  Madrid  I  spent  in  collecting  and 
studying  catalogues.  Of  these  I  found  but  few,  and  all  con- 
taining about  the  same  class  of  works.  Then  I  searched  the 
stalls  and  stores,  and  gathered  more  than  at  one  time  I 
thought  I  should  find,  sufficient  to  fill  two  large  boxes ;  but 


g6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

to  accomplish  this  I  was  obliged  to  work  diligently  for  two 
weeks. 

To  Saragossa,  Barcelona,  Marseilles,  Nice,  Genoa,  Bo- 
logna, Florence,  and  Rome ;  then  to  Naples,  back  to  Venice, 
and  through  Switzerland  to  Paris.  After  resting  a  while  I 
went  to  Holland,  then  up  the  Rhine  and  through  Germany 
to  Vienna;  then  through  Germany  and  Switzerland  again, 
Paris  and  London,  and  finally  back  to  New  York  and  Buf- 
falo. Everywhere  I  found  something,  and  seized  upon  it, 
however  insignificant,  for  I  had  long  since  ceased  to  resist 
the  malady.  Often  have  I  taken  a  cab  or  a  carriage  to  drive 
me  from  stall  to  stall  all  day,  without  obtaining  more  than 
perhaps  three  or  four  books  or  pamphlets,  for  which  I  paid 
a  shilling  or  a  franc  apiece.  Then  again  I  would  light  upon 
a  valuable  manuscript  which  relieved  my  pocket  to  the  ex- 
tent of  three,  five,  or  eight  hundred  dollars. 

Now,  I  thought,  my  task  is  done.  I  have  rifled  America 
of  its  treasures;  Europe  have  I  ransacked;  and  after  my 
success  in  Spain,  Asia  and  Africa  may  as  well  be  passed  by. 
I  have  ten  thousand  volumes  and  over,  fifty  times  more  than 
ever  I  dreamed  were  in  existence  when  the  collecting  began. 
My  library  is  d.  fait  accompli.     Here  will  I  rest. 

But  softly !  What  is  this  inch-thick  pamphlet  that  comes  to 
me  by  mail  from  my  agent  in  London  ?  By  the  shade  of 
Tom  Dibdin,  it  is  a  catalogue !  Stripping  off  the  cover  I  read 
the  title-page :  Catalogue  de  la  Riche  Bibliotheqiic  dc  D.  Jose 
Maria  Andrade.  Livres  maniiscrits  et  imprimes.  Litteratiire 
Frangaise  et  Espagjiole.  Histoire  de  LAfrique,  de  L'Asie,  et 
de  L'Amcnque.  'jooo  pieces  et  volumes  ayant  rapport  an 
Mexique  on  imprimes  dans  ce  pays.  Dont  la  vente  sefera 
Lwidi,  1 8  Ja?ivier,  j86g,  et  Jours  suiva7its,  a  Leipzig,  dans  la 
salle  de  ventes  de  MM.  List  6^  Francke,  15  me  de  E  Univer- 
site,par  le  ministere  de  M.  Hermann  Francke,  conunissaire 
prisctir. 

Seven  thousand  books  direct  from  Mexico,  and  probably 
half  of  them  works  which  should  be  added  to  my  collection ! 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  97 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  Here  were  treasures  beside  which 
the  gold,  silver,  and  rich  merchandise  found  by  Ali  Baba 
in  the  robbers'  cave  were  dross.  A  new  Hght  broke  in  upon 
me.  I  had  never  considered  that  Mexico  had  been  printing 
books  for  three  and  a  quarter  centuries  —  one  hundred  years 
longer  than  Massachusetts^— and  that  the  earlier  works  were 
seldom  seen  floating  about  book-stalls  and  auction-rooms. 
One  would  think,  perhaps,  that  in  Mexico  there  might  be  a 
rich  harvest ;  that  where  the  people  were  ignorant  and  indif- 
erent  to  learning,  books  would  be  lightly  esteemed,  and  a 
large  collection  easily  made.  And  such  at  times  and  to  some 
extent  has  been  the  case,  but  it  is  not  so  now.  It  is  charac- 
teristic of  the  Mexican,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Yankee,  that 
an  article  which  may  before  have  been  deemed  worthless, 
suddenly  assumes  great  value  when  one  tries  to  buy  it.  The 
common  people,  seeing  the  priests  and  collectors  place  so 
high  an  estimate  on  these  embodiments  of  knowledge,  invest 
them  with  a  sort  of  supernatural  importance,  place  them 
among  their  Lares  and  Penates,  and  refuse  to  part  with  them 
at  any  price.  Besides,  Mexico  as  well  as  other  countries  has 
been  overrun  with  book  collectors.  In  making  his  collec- 
tion Senor  Andrade  had  occupied  forty  years;  and  being 
upon  the  spot,  with  every  facility,  ample  means  at  his  com- 
mand, a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  literature  of  the  country, 
and  famiharity  with  the  places  in  which  books  and  manu- 
scripts were  most  likely  to  be  found,  he  surely  should  have 
been  able  to  accomplish  what  no  other  man  could. 

And  then  again,  rare  books  are  every  year  becoming  rarer. 
In  England  particularly  this  is  the  case.  Important  sales  are 
not  so  frequent  now  as  fifty  years  ago,  when  a  gentleman's 
library,  which  at  his  death  was  sold  at  auction  for  the  benefit  of 
heirs,  almost  always  offered  opportunities  for  securing  some  rare 
books.  Then,  at  the  death  of  one,  another  would  add  to  his 
collection,  and  at  his  death  another,  and  so  on.  During  the 
past  half  century  many  new  public  libraries  have  been  fonned 
both  in  Europe  and  America,  until  the  number  has  become 
very  large.  These,  as  a  rule,  are  deficient  in  rare  books ;  but 
7 


98  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

having  with  age  and  experience  accumulated  funds  and  the 
knowledge  of  using  them,  or  having  secured  all  desirable 
current  literature,  the  managers  of  public  libraries  are  more 
and  more  desirous  of  enriching  their  collections  with  the 
treasures  of  the  past ;  and  as  institutions  seldom  or  never  die, 
when  once  a  book  finds  lodgment  on  their  shelves  the  auc- 
tioneer rarely  sees  it  again.  Scores  of  libraries  in  America 
have  their  agents,  with  lists  of  needed  books  in  their  hands, 
ready  to  pay  any  price  for  any  one  of  them.  Since  there  is 
but  a  limited  number  of  these  books  in  existence,  with  a 
dozen  bidders  for  every  one,  they  are  becoming  scarcer  and 
dearer  every  year. 

There  were  no  fixed  prices  for  rare  and  ancient  books  in 
Mexico,  and  they  were  seldom  or  never  to  be  obtained  in  the 
ordinary  way  of  trade.  Until  recently,  to  make  out  a  list  of 
books  and  expect  a  bookseller  of  that  country  to  procure 
them  for  you  was  absurd,  and  you  would  be  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. It  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  he  should 
be  so  much  in  advance  of  his  bookselling  brother  of  Spain, 
who  would  scarcely  leave  his  seat  to  serve  you  with  a  book 
from  his  own  shelves,  still  less  to  seek  it  elsewhere. 

Book  collecting  in  Mexico  at  the  period  of  my  visit  was  a 
trade  iojiibe  des  ni/cs,  the  two  parties  to  the  business  being, 
usually,  one  a  professional  person,  representing  the  guardian- 
ship of  learning,  and  the  other  the  recipient  of  his  favors. 
The  latter,  ascertaining  the  whereabouts  of  the  desired  vol- 
ume, bargained  with  a  politician,  an  ecclesiastic,  or  a  go- 
between,  and  having  agreed  on  the  price,  the  place  and  time 
were  named  —  which  must  be  a  retired  spot  and  an  hour  in 
which  the  sun  did  not  shine — whereupon  the  book  was  pro- 
duced and  the  money  paid;  but  there  must  be  no  further 
conversation  regarding  the  matter.  Should  the  monastic 
lil)raries  occasionally  be  found  deficient  in  volumes  once  in 
their  possession,  in  the  absence  of  catalogues  and  responsible 
librarians  their  loss  could  not  be  charged  to  the  guardian. 

Jose  Maria  Andrade  combined  in  himself  the  publisher, 
journalist,  Ulteratcur,  bibliopole,  and  bibliophile ;  and  the  te- 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  99 

nacity  with  which  he  dung  to  his  collection  was  remarkable. 
Nor  was  he  induced  to  part  with  it  except  for  the  consumma- 
tion of  a  grand  purpose.  It  was  ever  the  earnest  desire  of 
the  unfortunate  Maximilian  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
country  in  every  way  in  his  power;  and  prominent  among 
his  many  praiseworthy  designs  was  that  of  improving  the 
mental  condition  of  the  people.  No  sooner  had  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  government  than  he  began  the  formation 
of  an  imperial  library.  This  could  not  be  better  accomplished 
than  by  securing  the  collection  of  Sehor  iVndrade,  while  the 
intelligent  and  zealous  collector  in  no  other  way  could  reap 
a  reward  commensurate  with  his  long  and  diligent  researches. 
It  was  therefore  arranged  that,  in  consideration  of  a  certain 
sum  to  be  paid  the  owner  of  the  books,  this  magnificent  col- 
lection should  form  the  basis  of  a  Biblioicca  Iiupcnal  de  Me- 
j'ico.  But  unfortunately  for  Mexico  this  was  not  to  be.  The 
books  were  to  be  scattered  among  the  libraries  of  the  world, 
and  the  rare  opportunity  was  forever  lost.  Evil  befell  both 
emperor  and  bibliophile.  The  former  met  the  fate  of  many 
another  adventurer  of  less  noble  birth  and  less  chivalrous  and 
pure  intention,  and  the  latter  failed  to  secure  his  money. 

When  it  became  certain  that  Maximilian  was  doomed  to 
die  at  the  hands  of  his  captors,  Andrade  determined  to  se- 
cure to  himself  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  his  library  as 
best  he  might.  Nor  was  there  any  time  to  lose,  for  the  friends 
of  the  emperor  could  scarcely  hope  to  see  their  contracts  rati- 
fied by  his  successor.  Consequently,  v/hile  all  eyes  were 
turned  in  the  direction  of  Queretaro,  immediately  after  the 
enactment  of  that  bloody  tragedy,  and  before  the  return  wave 
of  popular  fury  and  vandalism  had  reached  the  city  of  Mex- 
ico, Andrade  hastily  packed  his  books  into  two  hundred 
cases,  placed  them  on  the  backs  of  mules,  and  hurried  them 
to  Vera  Cruz,  and  thence  across  the  water  to  Europe. 

Better  for  Mexico  had  the  bibliophile  taken  with  him  one 
of  her  chief  cities  than  that  mule-train  load  of  literature, 
wherein  for  her  were  stores  of  mighty  experiences,  Avhich, 
left  to  their  own  engendering,  would  in  due  time  bring  forth 


lOO  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

healing  fruits.  Never  since  the  burning  of  the  Aztec  manu- 
scripts by  the  bigot  Zumarraga  had  there  fallen  on  the  coun- 
try such  a  loss. 

Says  M.  Deschamps  of  the  Andrade  collection :  "  The 
portion  of  this  library  relating  to  Mexico  is  incontestably 
unique,  and  constitutes  a  collection  which  neither  the  most 
enlightened  care,  the  most  patient  investigation,  nor  the 
gold  of  the  richest  placers  could  reproduce.  The  incuna- 
bula of  American  typography,  six  Gothic  volumes  head  the 
list,  printed  from  1543  to  1547,  several  of  which  have  re- 
mained wholly  unknown  to  bibliographers ;  then  follows  a 
collection  of  documents,  printed  and  in  manuscript,  by  the 
help  of  which  the  impartial  writer  may  reestablish  on  its 
true  basis  the  history  of  the  firm  domination  held  by  Spain 
over  these  immense  territories,  from  the  time  of  Cortes  to 
the  glorious  epoch  of  the  wars  of  Independence.  The 
manuscripts  are  in  part  original  and  in  part  copies  of  val- 
uable documents  made  with  great  care  from  the  papers  pre- 
served in  the  archives  of  the  empire  at  Mexico.  It  is  well 
known  that  access  to  these  archives  is  invariably  refused  to 
the  public,  and  that  it  required  the  sovereign  intervention 
of  an  enlightened  prince  to  render  possible  the  long  labors 
of  transcription." 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  collection  of  which  I  now  re- 
ceived a  catalogue,  with  notice  of  sale  beginning  the  i8th  of 
January,  1869.  Again  I  asked  myself,  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
Little  penetration  was  necessary  to  see  that  this  sale  at  Leip- 
sic  was  most  important ;  that  such  an  opportunity  to  secure 
Mexican  books  never  had  occurred  before  and  could  never 
occur  again.  It  was  not  among  the  possibihties  that  Senor 
Andrade's  catalogue  should  ever  be  duplicated.  The  time 
was  too  short  for  me  to  reach  Leipsic  in  person;  yet  I  was 
determined  not  to  let  the  opportunity  slip  without  securing 
something,  no  matter  at  what  hazard  or  at  what  sacrifice. 

Shutting  my  eyes  to  the  consequences,  therefore,  I  did  the 
only  thing  possible  under  the  circumstances  to  secure  a  portion 
of  that  collection :  I  telegraphed  my  agent  in  London  five 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    B-IBLIOPt?ILf,.  I^I 

thousand  dollars  earnest  money,  with  instructions  to  attend 
the  sale  and  purchase  at  his  discretion.  I  expected  nothing 
else  than  large  lots  of  duplicates,  with  many  books  which  I 
did  not  care  for;  but  in  this  I  was  agreeably  disappointed. 
Though  my  agent,  Mr.  Whitaker,  was  not  very  familiar  with 
the  contents  of  my  library,  he  was  a  practical  man,  and 
thoroughly  versed  in  the  nature  and  value  of  books,  and  the 
result  of  his  purchase  was  to  enrich  my  collection  with  some 
three  thousand  of  the  rarest  and  most  valuable  volumes 
extant. 

There  were,  of  course,  in  this  purchase  a  certain  number 
of  duplicates,  and  some  books  bought  only  for  their  rarity, 
such  as  specimens  of  the  earliest  printing  in  Mexico,  and  cer- 
tain costly  linguistic  works.  But  on  the  whole  I  was  more 
than  pleased ;  I  Avas  delighted.  A  sum  five  times  larger  than 
the  cost  of  the  books  would  not  have  taken  them  from  me, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  though  I  should  live  a  hundred 
years  I  would  not  see  the  time  when  I  could  buy  any  con- 
siderable part  of  them  at  any  price.  And  furthermore,  no 
sooner  had  I  settled  doA\'n  to  authorship  than  experience 
taught  me  that  the  works  thus  collected  and  sold*  by  Senor 
Andrade  included  foreign  books  of  the  highest  importance. 
There  were  among  them  many  books  and  manuscripts  invalu- 
able for  a  working  library.  It  seemed  after  all  as  though  Mr. 
Whitaker  had  instinctively  secured  what  was  most  vranted, 
allowing  very  few  of  the  four  thousand  four  hundred  and 
eighty-four  numbers  of  the  catalogue  to  slip  through  his  fin- 
gers that  I  would  myself  have  purchased  if  present  in  person. 

But  this  was  not  the  last  of  the  Andrade-Maximilian 
episode.  Another  lot,  not  so  large  as  the  Leipsic  catalogue, 
but  enough  to  constitute  a  very  important  sale,  was  disposed 
of  by  auction  in  London,  by  Puttick  and  Simpson,  in  June 
of  the  same  year.  The  printed  list  was  entitled :  Bibliotheca 
Mcjicana.  A  Catalogue  of  an  extraordinary  collection  of  books 
relating  to  Mexico  and  North  and  South  America,  from  the 
first  introduction  of  printing  in  the  New  World,  A.  D.  1544, 
to  A.  D.  1868.     Collected  during  20  years'  official  7'esidence  in 

IWnfERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


10^  .LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Mexico.  Mr,  Whitaker  likewise  attended  this  sale  for  me, 
and  from  his  purchases  I  was  enabled  still  further  to  fill  gaps 
and  perfect  the  collection. 

Prior  to  these  large  purchases,  namely  in  December,  1868, 
Mr.  Whitaker  made  some  fine  selections  for  me  at  a  public 
sale  in  Paris.  This  same  year  was  sold  in  New  York  the 
library  of  A.  A.  Smet,  and  the  year  previous  had  been  sold 
that  of  Richard  W.  Roche.  The  library  of  George  W.  Pratt 
was  sold  in  New  York  in  March,  1868;  that  of  Amos  Dean, 
at  private  sale,  in  New  York  the  same  year;  that  of  W.  L. 
Mattison  in  New  York  in  April,  1869;  that  of  John  A.  Rice 
in  New  York  in  March,  1870;  that  of  S.  G.  Drake  in  Boston 
in  May  and  June,  1876;  that  of  John  W.  Dwindle  in  San 
Francisco  in  July,  1877;  that  of  George  T.  Strong  in  New 
York  in  November,  1878;  that  of  Milton  S.  Latham  in  San 
Francisco  in  April,  1879;  that  of  Gideon  N.  Searing  in  New 
York  in  May,  1880;  that  of  H.  R.  Schoolcraft  in  New  York 
in  November,  1880;  that  of  A.  Oakey  Hall  in  New  York  in 
January,  188 1;  that  of  J.  L.  Hasmar  in  Philadelphia  in 
March,  1881;  that  of  George  Brinley  in  New  York  at  dif- 
ferent dates;  that  of  W.  B.  Lawrence  in  New  York  in  188 1-2 
that  of  the  Sunderland  Library,  first  part,  in  London  in  1881 
that  of  W.  C.  Prescott  in  New  York  in  December,  1881 
and  that  of  J.  G.  Keil  in  Leipsic  in  1882; — from  each  of 
which  I  secured  something.  Besides  those  elsewhere  enu- 
merated there  were  to  me  memorable  sales  in  Lisbon,  New 
York,  and  London,  in  1870;  in  London  and  New  York  in 
1872;  in  Paris,  Leipsic,  and  New  York,  in  1873,  and  in  New 
York  in  1877.  '^^^  several  sales  in  London  of  Henry  G. 
Bohn,  retiring  from  business,  were  also  important. 

The  government  officials  in  Washington  and  the  officers 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  have  always  been  very  kind 
and  liberal  to  me,  as  have  the  Pacific  coast  representatives  in 
Congress.  From  members  of  the  Canadian  cabinet  and  parlia- 
ment I  have  received  valuable  additions  to  my  library.  From 
the  many  shops  of  Nassau  street.  New  York,  and  from  several 
stores  and  auction  sales  in  Boston,  I  have  been  receiving 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  I03 

constant  additions  to  my  collection  for  a  period  of  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century. 

From  the  Librairie  Tross  of  Paris  in  April,  1870,  I  obtained 
a  long  list  of  books,  selected  from  a  catalogue.  So  at  various 
times  I  have  received  accessions  from  Maisonneuve  et  C'% 
Paris,  notably  a  considerable  shipment  in  September,  1878. 
From  Triibner,  Quaritch,  Rowell,  and  others,  in  London,  the 
stream  was  constant,  though  not  large,  for  many  years. 
Asher  of  Berlin  managed  to  offer  at  various  times  valuable 
catalogues,  as  did  also  John  Russell  Smith  of  London;  F. 
A.  Brockhaus  of  Leipsic;  Murguia  of  Mexico,  and  Madrilena 
of  Mexico;  MuUer  of  Amsterdam;  Weigel  of  Leipsic; 
Robert  Clarke  &  Co.  of  Cincinnati;  Scheible  of  Stuttgart; 
Bouton  of  New  York;  Henry  Miller  of  New  York,  and 
Olivier  of  Bruxelles.  Henry  Stevens  of  London  sold  in 
Boston,  through  Leonard,  by  auction  in  April,  1870,  a  col- 
lection of  five  thousand  volumes  of  American  history,  cata- 
logued under  the  title  of  Bibliotheca  Ilistofka,  at  which  time 
he  claimed  to  have  fifteen  thousand  similar  volumes  stored 
at  4  Trafalgar  square. 

In  April,  1876,  was  sold  by  auction  in  New  York  the  col- 
lection of  Mr.  E.  G.  Squier,  relating  in  a  great  measure  to 
Central  America,  where  the  collector,  when  quite  young,  was 
for  a  time  United  States  minister.  A  man  of  letters,  the 
author  of  several  books,  and  many  essays  and  articles  on 
ethnology,  histor}%  and  politics,  and  a  member  of  home  and 
foreign  learned  societies,  Mr.  Squier  was  enabled  by  his  posi- 
tion to  gratify  his  tastes  to  their  full  extent,  and  he  availed 
himself  of  the  opportunity.  His  library  was  rich  in  manu- 
scripts, in  printed  and  manuscript  maps,  and  in  Central 
American  newspapers,  and  political  and  historical  pamphlets. 
There  were  some  fine  original  drawings  by  Catherwood 
of  ruins  and  monoHth  idols,  and  some  desirable  engravings 
and  photographs.  Books  from  the  library  of  Alexander  Von 
Humboldt  were  a  feature,  and  there  was  a  section  on  Scan- 
dina\dan  literature.  In  regard  to  his  manuscripts,  which  he 
intended  to  translate  and  print,  the  publication  of  Falacio, 


I04  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

Cartas,  being  the  beginning,  Mr.  Squier  said :  "  A  large  part 
of  these  were  obtained  from  the  various  Spanish  archives  and 
depositories  by  my  friend  Buckingham  Smith,  late  secretary 
of  the  legation  of  the  United  States  in  Spain.  Others  were 
procured  during  my  residence  in  Central  America  either  in 
person  or  through  the  intervention  of  friends."  I  gladly 
availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  purchase  at  this  sale 
whatever  the  collection  contained  that  was  lacking  in  my 
library.  Of  the  Squier  library  Mr.  Sabin  testified :  "  In  the 
department  relative  to  Central  America  the  collection  is  not 
surpassed  by  any  other  within  our  knowledge;  many  of 
these  books  being  published  in  Central  America,  and  having 
rarely  left  the  land  of  their  birth,  are  of  great  value,  and  are 
almost  unknown  outside  the  localities  from  which  they  were 
issued," 

The  next  most  important  opportunity  was  the  sale,  by 
auction,  of  the  library  of  Caleb  Cushing  in  Boston,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1879.  This  was  attended  for  me  by  Mr.  Lauriat,  and 
the  result  was  in  every  way  satisfactory. 

Quite  a  remarkable  sale  was  that  of  the  library  of  Ramirez, 
by  auction,  in  London  in  July,  1880,  not  so  much  in  regard 
to  numbers,  for  there  were  but  1290,  as  in  variety  and  prices. 
The  title  of  the  catalogue  reads  as  follows  :  Bibliotheca  Afex- 
icana.  A  catalogue  of  the  Libra)"}'  of  rare  books  and  important 
manuscripts,  relating  to  Mexico  and  other  parts  of  Spanish 
America,  formed  by  the  late  Scfior  Don  Jose'  Fer?iando  Ra- 
mirez, presidcfit  of  the  late  E?nperor  Maximilian' s  first  minis- 
try, comprising  fuie  specifnens  of  the  presses  of  the  early  Mex- 
ican typographers,  Juan  Cromberger,  Juan  Pablos,  Anto7iio 
Espinosa,  Pedro  Ocharte,  Pedro  Balli,  Antonio  Ricardo,  Mel- 
chior  Ocharte ;  a  large  number  of  works,  both  printed  and 
ma7iuscript,  on  the  Mexican  Indian  languages  afid  dialects  ; 
the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  history  of  Mexico  and  its  provinces  ; 
collections  of  laws  and  ordinances  relating  to  the  Indies.  Val- 
uable unpublished  manuscripts  relating  to  the  Jesuit  jnissions 
in  Texas,  California,  China,  Peru,  Chili,  Brazil,  etc.;  collec- 
tions of  documctits ;  sermons  preached  in  Mexico;  etc.,  etc. 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE.  1 05 

Ramirez  was  a  native  of  the  city  of  Durango,  where  he  had 
been  educated  and  admitted  to  the  bar,  rising  to  eminence  as 
state  and  federal  judge.  He  was  at  one  time  head  of  the 
national  museum  of  Mexico ;  also  minister  of  foreign  affairs, 
and  again  president  of  Maximilian's  first  ministry.  After  the 
withdrawal  of  the  French  he  went  to  Europe  and  took  up  his 
residence  at  Bonn,  where  he  died  in  187 1.  The  books  com- 
prising the  sale  formed  the  second  collection  made  by  this 
learned  bibliographer,  the  first  having  become  the  foundation 
of  a  state  library  in  the  city  of  Durango.  The  rarest  works 
of  the  first  collection  were  reserved,  however,  as  a  nucleus  for 
the  second,  which  was  formed  after  he  removed  to  the  capital. 
His  high  public  position,  his  reputation  as  scliolar  and  bibliog- 
rapher, and  his  widely  extended  influence  afforded  him  the 
best  facilities.  Many  of  his  literary  treasures  were  obtained 
from  the  convents  after  the  suppression  of  the  monastic  orders. 
From  the  collection,  as  it  stood  at  the  death  of  Ramirez,  his 
heirs  permitted  A.  Chavero  to  select  all  works  relating  to 
Mexico.  "  We  believe  we  do  not  exaggerate,"  the  sellers 
affirmed,  "  when  we  say  that  no  similar  collection  of  books 
can  again  be  brought  into  the  English  market." 

This  opinion  was  endorsed  by  Mr.  Whitaker,  who  wrote  to 
me  in  1869  regarding  the  Paris  and  London  sales  of  that 
year :  "  If  I  may  argue  from  analogy,  I  do  not  think  that 
many  more  Mexican  books  will  come  to  Europe  for  sale.  I 
remember  some  twenty-five  years  ago  a  similar  series  of  sales 
of  Spanish  books  which  came  over  here  in  consequence  of 
the  revolution,  but  for  many  years  there  have  been  none  to 
speak  of."  Thus  we  find  the  same  idea  expressed  by  an  ex- 
pert eleven  years  before  the  Ramirez  sale.  In  one  sense  both 
opinions  proved  true ;  the  collections  were  different  in  char- 
acter, and  neither  of  them  could  be  even  approximately 
duplicated.  With  regard  to  prices  at  the  sales  of  1869  Mr. 
Whitaker  remarks:  "Some  of  the  books  sold  rather  low 
considering  their  rarity  and  value,  but  on  the  whale  prices 
ruled  exceedingly  high."  Had  Mr.  Whitaker  attended  the 
Ramirez  sale  he  would  have  been  simply  astounded.    If  ever 


Io6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

the  prices  of  Mexican  books  sold  prior  to  this  memorable 
year  of  1880  could  in  comparison  be  called  high,  such  sales 
have  been  wholly  outside  of  my  knowledge,  I  had  before 
■paid  hundreds  of  dollars  for  a  thin  i2mo  volume;  but  a  bill 
wherein  page  after  page  the  items  run  from  $50  to  $700  is 
apt  to  call  into  question  the  general  sanity  of  mankind.  And 
yet  this  was  at  public  sale,  in  the  chief  book  mart  of  the 
world,  and  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  the  volumes  Avere  sold 
with  fairness. 

Notice  of  this  sale,  with  catalogue,  was  forwarded  to  me 
by  Mr.  Stevens,  who  attended  it  in  my  behalf  I  made  out 
my  list  and  sent  it  on  with  general  instructions,  but  without 
special  limit ;  I  did  not  suppose  the  whole  lot  would  amount 
to  over  $10,000  or  $12,000.  The  numbers  I  ordered  brought 
nearer  $30,000.  Mr.  Stevens  did  not  purchase  them  all,  pre- 
ferring to  forego  his  commissions  rather  than  subject  me  to 
such  fearfully  high  prices.  My  chief  consolation  in  drawing 
a  check  for  the  purchase  was  that  if  books  were  worth  the 
prices  brought  at  the  Ramirez  sale  the  value  of  my  library 
must  be  a  million  of  dollars.  And  yet  Mr.  Stevens  writes : 
"  On  the  whole  you  have  secured  your  lots  very  reasonably. 
A  few  are  dear;  most  of  them  are  cheap.  The  seven  or 
eight  lots  that  you  put  in  your  third  class,  and  which  Mr. 
Quaritch  or  Count  Heredia  bought  over  my  bids,  you  may 
rest  assured  went  dear  enough."  There  were  scarcely  any 
purchasers  other  than  the  three  bidders  above  named,  though 
Mr.  Stevens  held  orders  likewise  for  the  British  Museum 
library.  There  was  no  calling  off  or  hammering  by  the  auc- 
tioneer. The  bidders  sat  at  a  table  on  which  Avas  placed  the 
book  to  be  sold ;  each  made  his  bid  and  the  seller  recorded 
the  highest. 

Thus  it  was  that  in  1869,  after  the  Maximilian  sale,  but 
before  those  of  Ramirez,  Squicr,  and  many  others,  I  found  in 
my  possession,  including  pamphlets,  about  sixteen  thousand 
volumes;  and  with  these,  which  even  before  its  completion 
I  placed  on  the  fifth  floor  of  the  Market-street  building,  I 
decided  to  begin  work.     As  a  collector,  however,  I  con- 


FROM    BIBLIOPOLIST   TO    BIBLIOPHILE,  I07 

tinued  lying  in  wait  for  opportunities.  All  the  new  books 
published  relative  to  the  subject  were  immediately  added  to 
the  collection,  with  occasional  single  copies,  or  little  lots  of 
old  books  secured  by  my  agents.  Before  leaving  Europe  I 
appointed  agents  in  other  principal  cities  besides  London  to 
purchase,  as  opportunity  offered,  whatever  I  lacked.  There 
were  many  other  notable  additions  to  the  library  from  sources 
not  yet  mentioned,  of  which  I  shall  take  occasion  to  speak 
in  later  chapters  of  this  volume. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    LIBRARY. 

Could  a  man  be  secure 

That  his  days  would  endure 

As  of  old,  for  a  thousand  long  years, 

What  things  might  he  know  ! 

What  deeds  might  he  do ! 

And  all  without  hurry  or  care. 

— Old  Song. 

IF  as  Plato  says  knowledge  is  goodness,  and  goodness  God, 
then  libraries  occupy  holy  ground,  and  books  breathe  the 
atmosphere  of  heaven.  Although  this  philosophy  may  be  too 
transcendental  for  the  present  day,  and  although  the  agency 
of  evil  sometimes  appears  in  the  storing  of  knowledge  as  well 
as  the  agency  of  good,  thus  making  scholars  not  always  heirs 
of  God,  we  have  yet  to  learn  of  a  collection  of  books  having 
been  made  for  purposes  of  evil,  or  the  results  of  such  efforts 
ever  having  been  otherAvise  than  beneficial  to  the  race.  Par- 
ticularly is  such  the  case  where  the  main  incentive  has  been 
the  accumulation  of  facts  for  the  mere  love  of  such  accumu- 
lation, and  not  from  devotion  to  dogma,  or  for  the  purpose 
of  pleading  a  cause — for  something  of  the  instinct  of  accu- 
mulation inherent  in  liumanity  may  be  found  in  the  garnering 
of  knowledge,  no  less  than  in  the  gathering  of  gold  or  the 
acquisition  of  broad  acres. 

My  library,  when  first  it  came  to  be  called  a  librar)',  occu- 
pied one  comer  of  the  second  story  of  the  bookstore  building 
Ion  Merchant  street,  which  connected  with  the  front  room  on 
1  Montgomery  street,  as  before  described.  When  placed  on 
•the  fifth  floor  of  the  Market-street  building,  it  occupied  room 
;equivalcnt  to  thirty-five  by  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet, 

io8 


THE    LIBRARY. 


[09 


being  about  fifty  feet  wide  at  the  south  end,  and  narrowing 
irregularly  towards  the  north  end.  The  ceiling  was  low,  and 
the  view  broken  by, the  enclosures  under  the  skylights,  and 
by  sections  of  standing  supports  with  which  it  was  found 
necessary  to  supplement  the  half-mile  and  more  of  shelving 
against  the  walls.  Following  the  works  of  reference,  the 
books  were  arranged  alphabetically  by  authors,  some  seventy- 
five  feet  at  the  north  end,  both  walls  and  floor  room  being 
left  for  newspapers.  On  the  east  side  were  four  rooms,  two 
occupied  as  sleeping  apartments  by  Mr.  Oak  and  Mr.  Nemos, 
and  two  used  as  working  rooms  by  Mrs.  Victor  and  myself. 
There  was  one  large  draughtsman's  working-counter,  with 
drawers,  and  a  rack  for  maps.  The  desks  and  writing  tables 
stood  principally  at  the  south  end  of  the  main  library  room, 
that  being  the  best  locality  for  light  and  air.  A  large,  high, 
revolving  table  occupied  the  centre  of  my  room.  Attached 
to  it  was  a  stationary  stand  into  which  it  fitted,  or  rather  of 
which  it  formed  part.  At  this  table  I  could  stand,  or  by 
means  of  a  high  chair  Avith  revolving  seat  I  could  sit,  and 
write  on  the  stationary  part.  The  circular  or  revolving  por- 
tion of  the  table  was  some  eight  or  nine  feet  in  diameter. 
Besides  this  there  were  usually  two  or  three  common  plain 
tables  in  the  room.  On  the  walls  were  maps,  and  drawings  of 
various  kinds,  chiefly  referring  to  early  history;  also  certificates 
of  degrees  conferred,  and  of  membership  of  learned  societies. 

In  the  main  room,  in  addition  to  long  tables,  there  were  a 
dozen  or  so  small  movable  tables,  and  also  a  high  table  and 
a  high  desk,  the  two  accommodating  four  or  five  persons, 
should  any  wish  to  stand.  All  was  well  arranged,  not  only 
for  literary  but  for  mechanical  work,  for  close  at  hand  were 
compositors,  printers,  and  binders.  No  place  could  better 
have  suited  my  purpose,  except  for  interruptions,  for  I  was 
never  entirely  free  from  business. 

Yet,  all  through  the  dozen  years  the  library  was  there  I 
trembled  for  its  safety  through  fear  of  fire,  as  indeed  did 
many  others  who  appreciated  its  historical  value  to  this  coast, 
well  knowing  that  once  lost  no  power  on  earth  could  repro- 


no  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

,  duce  it.  Hence  its  place  in  this  building  was  regarded  as 
temporary  from  the  first.  We  all  thought  constantly  of  it, 
and  a  hundred  times  I  talked  over  the  question  of  removal 
with  Mr.  Oak  and  others.  Now  and  then  the  danger  would 
be  more  vividly  brought  home  to  us  by  an  alarm  of  fire  on 
the  premises ;  and  once  in  particular,  when  a  fire  broke  out 
in  the  basement  of  a  furniture  store  occupying  the  western 
side  of  the  building,  filling  the  library  with  dense  smoke,  and 
driving  the  inmates  to  the  roof.  The  furniture  store  was 
almost  destroyed,  and  the  bookstore  suffered  serious  damage. 
It  was  a  narrow  escape  for  the  library. 

Thus,  when  in  the  autumn  of  1881  William  B.  Bancroft, 
my  nephew,  in  charge  of  the  manufacturing  department, 
required  the  use  of  the  floor  for  his  increasing  business,  and 
as  the  money  could  be  spared,  I  lent  a  willing  ear. 

First  to  be  considered  in  choosing  a  new  locality  was 
whether  the  library  should  remain  on  the  peninsula  of  San 
Francisco,  or  take  its  place  at  some  point  across  the  bay. 
Oakland  was  seriously  considered,  and  San  Rafael,  not  to 
mention  Sonoma,  where,  long  before,  my  enthusiastic  friend, 
General  Vallejo,  had  offered  to  furnish  land  and  all  the  build- 
ing requirements  free.  There  were  pleasant  places  in  the 
direction  of  San  Mateo  and  Menlo  Park;  but  we  finally  con- 
cluded to  remain  in  the  city. 

After  some  search  a  place  was  found  uniting  several  ad- 
vantages, and  which  on  the  whole  proved  satisfactory.  It 
was  on  Valencia  street,  the  natural  continuation  of  Market 
street,  on  the  line  of  the  city's  growth,  and  reached  by  the 
same  line  of  cars  which  passed  the  store.  There,  on  the  west 
side,  near  its  junction  with  Mission  street,  I  purchased  a  lot 
one  hundred  and  twenty  by  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet, 
and  i)rocecded  forthwith  to  erect  a  substantial  two  story  and 
basement  brick  structure  forty  by  sixty  feet.  In  order  that 
the  building  might  be  always  detached  it  was  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  lot,  and  to  make  it  more  secure  from  fire  all  the 
openings  were  covered  with  iron.  A  high  fence  was  erected 
on  two  sides  for  protection  against  the  wind,  and  the  grounds 


THE    LIBRARY.  Ill 

were  planted  with  trees,  grass,  and  flowers.  On  the  door  was 
placed  a  plate  lettered  in  plain  script,  The  Bancroft 
Library. 

The  building  proved  most  satisfactory.  No  attempt  was 
made  at  elaboration,  either  without  or  within;  neatness  and 
good  taste,  with  comfort  and  convenience,  were  alone  aimed 
at.  Every  part  of  it  was  ordered  with  an  eye  single  to  the 
purpose;  the  rooms  are  spacious,  there  are  plenty  of  large 
windows,  and  the  building  is  v/ell  ventilated.  From  the  front 
door  the  main  room,  lower  floor,  is  entered,  which,  though 
almost  without  a  break  in  its  original  construction,  became  at 
once  so  crowded  as  to  render  its  proper  representation  in  a 
drawing  impossible.  Ample  space,  as  was  supposed,  had 
been  allowed  in  planning  the  building,  but  such  a  collection 
of  books  is  susceptible  of  being  expanded  or  contracted  to  a 
wonderful  extent.  On  the  wall  shelves  of  this  apartment  are 
sets  and  collections  aggregating  16,000  volumes.  The  sets 
are  conveniently  lettered  and  numbered,  in  a  manner  that 
renders  each  work  readily  accessible,  as  will  be  described  in 
detail  elsewhere.  They  consist  of  collections  of  voyages  and 
travels ;  of  documents,  periodicals,  legislative  and  other  public 
papers  of  the  federal  government  and  the  several  states  and 
territories  of  the  Pacific  slope ;  of  law-books,  statutes,  briefs, 
and  legal  reports ;  series  of  scrap-books,  almanacs,  directories, 
bound  collections  of  pamphlets,  cumbersome  folios,  Mexi- 
can sermons,  papeles  vafios,  and  other  miscellaneous  matter. 
Three  lofty  double  tiers  of  shelving,  extending  across  the  room 
from  north  to  south,  are  loaded  with  500  bulky  files  of  Pacific 
states  newspapers,  amounting,  if  a  year  of  weeklies  and  three 
months  of  daihes  be  accounted  a  volume,  to  over  5000  volumes. 
It  is  a  somewhat  unwieldy  mass,  but  indispensable  to  the  local 
historian.  Also  was  built  and  placed  here  a  huge  case,  Avith 
drawers  for  maps,  geographically  arranged;  also  cases  con- 
taining the  card  index,  and  paper  bags  of  notes,  all  of  which 
are  explained  elsewhere. 

To  the  room  above,  the  main  library  and  working-room, 
the  entrance  is  by  a  staircase  rising  from  the  middle  of  the 


112  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

first  floor.  Here,  seated  at  tables,  are  a  dozen  literary  ^^'ork- 
,  men,  each  busy  with  his  special  task.  The  walls  are  filled 
!  with  shelving  nine  tiers  high,  containing  four  classes  of  books. 
Most  of  the  space  is  occupied  by  works  of  the  first  class, 
the  working  library  proper  of  printed  books,  alphabetically 
arranged,  each  volume  bearing  a  number,  and  the  numbers 
running  consecutively  from  one  to  1 2,000  under  alphabetical 
arrangement,  and  afterward  without  arrangement,  as  addi- 
tions are  made  indefinitely.  The  second  class  consists  of  rare 
books,  of  about  400  volumes,  set  apart  by  reason  of  their 
great  value,  not  merely  pecuniary,  though  the  volumes  will 
bring  from  $35  to  $800  each  in  the  book  markets  of  the 
world,  but  for  their  literary  value,  as  standard  authorities, 
bibhographic  curiosities,  specimens  of  early  printing,  and 
rare  linguistics.  The  third  class  is  composed  entirely  of 
manuscripts,  in  1200  volumes  of  three  subdivisions,  relating 
respectively  to  Mexico  and  Central  America,  to  California, 
and  to  the  Northwest  Coast  —  the  Oregon  and  interior 
territory,  British  Columbia,  and  Alaska.  The  fourth  class  is 
made  up  of  450  works  of  reference  and  bibliographies. 
When  the  collection  was  placed  in  the  library  building  it 
numbered  35,000  volumes,  since  which  time  additions  have 
steadily  been  made,  until  the  number  now  approaches 
50,000.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the  upper  room  is  situated 
my  private  apartment,  while  at  the  opposite  side  are  other 
rooms.  All  otherwise  unoccupied  wall  space,  above  and 
below,  is  filled  with  portraits,  plans,  drawings,  engravings, 
and  curios,  all  having  reference  to  the  territory  covered  by 
the  collection. 

Considerable  inconvenience  had  been  experienced  during 
the  past  twelve  years'  use  of  the  library,  for  want  of  proper 
numbering  and  cataloguing.  Mr.  Oak  had  made  a  card 
catalogue  which  about  the  time  of  removal  to  Market  street 
was  copied  in  book  form ;  but  though  the  former  kept  pace 
with  the  increase  of  books,  the  latter  was  soon  out  of  date. 
For  a  time  an  alphabetical  arrangement  answered  every  pur- 


THE    LIBRARY.  II3 

pose,  but  under  this  system  books  were  so  often  out  of  place,  i 
and  losses  so  frequent,  that  it  was  deemed  best  on  removing 
to  Valencia  street  to  adopt  a  book-mark,  a  system  of  number- 
ing, and  make  a  new  catalogue.  The  book-mark  consisted 
of  a  lithographed  line  in  plain  script  letters,  The  Bancroft 
Library,  with  the  number.  Preparatory  to  numbering,  the 
several  classes  before  mentioned  were  separated  from  the 
general  collection,  the  whole  weeded  of  duplicates,  and  every 
book  and  pamphlet  put  in  place  under  the  old  alphabetical 
arrangement.  The  main  working  collection  was  then  num- 
bered from  one  to  12,000  consecutively.  This  prohibited 
further  alphabetical  arrangement,  and  thereafter  all  subse- 
quent volumes  were  added  at  the  end  as  they  came  in,  and 
were  covered  by  new  numbers.  In  regard  to  the  other 
classes,  letters  were  employed  in  the  numbering  to  distinguish 
one  from  the  other.  The  first  catalogue  was  written  on  narrow- 
ruled  paper,  six  by  nine  inches  when  folded,  and  then  bound; 
the  second  was  written  on  thick  paper,  fourteen  by  eighteen 
inches  when  folded,  and  ruled  for  the  purpose  with  columns, 
and  with  subsidiary  lines  for  numbers  and  description.  This 
catalogue  indicates  the  shelf  position  of  every  book  in  the 
library;  and  the  plan  admits  of  additions  almost  limitless 
without  breaking  the  alphabetic  order.  In  copying  it  from 
the  original  cards  an  assistant  was  engaged  for  over  a  year. 
When  completed  it  was  strongly  bound  in  thick  boards  and 
leather. 

No  one  can  know,  not  having  had  the  experience,  the  end- 
less labor  and  detail  attending  the  keeping  in  order  and  under 
control  of  a  large  and  rapidly  growing  collection  of  historical 
data.  Take  newspapers,  for  example.  The  newspaper  is 
the  first  and  often  the  only  printed  matter  pertaining  directly 
to  the  local  affairs  sometimes  of  a  wide  area.  As  such  its  his- 
torical importance  is  obvious.  It  is  the  only  printed  record 
of  the  history  of  the  section  it  covers.  No  collection  of  early 
historic  data  can  be  deemed  in  any  degree  complete  with- 
out liberal  files  of  the  daily  and  weekly  journals.  But  when 
these  files  of  periodicals  reach  the  number  of  five  hundred,  as 
8 


114  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

before  mentioned,  equivalent  in  bulk  and  information  to  five 
thousand  volumes  of  books,  with  large  daily  additions,  it  be- 
comes difficult  to  know  how  to  deal  with  them,  for  these  too 
must  be  indexed  and  put  away  in  their  proper  place  before 
the  knowledge  they  contain  can  be  reached  or  utilized.  The 
course  we  pursued  was  first  of  all  after  collocation  to  enter 
them  by  their  names,  and  arranged  territorially,  in  a  ten-quire 
demy  record  book,  writing  down  the  numbers  actually  in  the 
library,  chronologically,  with  blank  spaces  left  for  missing 
numbers,  to  be  filled  in  as  those  numbers  were  obtained  and 
put  in  their  places.  But  before  putting  away  in  their  proper 
places  either  the  files  or  the  incoming  additional  numbers,  all 
were  indexed,  after  the  manner  of  indexing  the  books  of  the 
library,  and  desired  information  extracted  therefrom  in  the 
usual  way. 

In  describing  the  contents  of  the  library,  aside  from  its  ar- 
rangement in  the  building,  one  would  classify  it  somewhat 
difterently,  territory  and  chronology  taking  precedence  of 
outward  form  and  convenience.  Any  allusion  in  this  volume 
must  be  necessarily  very  brief,  for  any  approach  to  biblio- 
graphical analysis  is  here  out  of  the  question.  We  can  merely 
glance  at  the  several  natural  divisions  of  the  subject,  namely, 
aboriginal  literature,  sixteenth-century  productions,  works  of 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  nineteenth-century 
publications,  maps,  manuscripts,  and,  by  way  of  a  specialty, 
the  material  for  California  and  Northwest  Coast  history. 

Passing  the  annals  of  the  savages,  as  displayed  by  the 
scattered  picture-writings  of  the  wilder  northern  tribes,  which 
indeed  have  no  place  even  in  the  category  first  named,  we 
come  to  the  more  enduring  records  of  the  southern  plateaux. 

First  there  arc  the  picture  records  of  the  Aztec  migrations, 
from  Gemclli  Carreri  and  the  Boturini  collection,  and  repre- 
sentations of  the  education  of  Aztec  children,  from  the  Codex 
Mcndoza.  Specimens  of  the  next  aboriginal  class,  superior 
to  the  Aztec  i)icture  writing,  may  be  found  in  the  sculptured 
hieroglyphics  covering  the  tablets  of  Palcnque,  and  the 
statues  of  Copan.    Among  the  works  of  Lord  Kingsborough 


THE    LIBRARY.  II5 

and  of  Brasseur  de  Bourbourg  are  volumes  of  free  discussion, 
which  leave  the  student  at  the  end  of  his  investigations 
exactly  where  he  stood  at  the  beginning.  Then  there  are  the 
Maya  alphabet  of  Bishop  Landa,  and  the  specimens  pre- 
served in  the  Dresden  codex,  which  so  raise  intelligent  curi- 
osity as  to  make  us  wish  that  the  Spanish  bigots  had  been 
burned  instead  of  the  masses  of  priceless  aboriginal  manu- 
scripts of  which  they  built  their  bonfires.  In  the  national 
museum  of  the  University  of  Mexico  were  placed  the  rem- 
nants of  the  aboriginal  archives  of  Tezcuco;  and  we  may 
learn  much  from  the  writings  of  some  of  their  former  posses- 
sors, Ixtlilxochitl,  Sigiienza,  Boturini,  Veytia,  Ordaz,  Leon  y 
Gama,  and  Sanchez.  Clavigero  has  also  used  this  material  with 
profit  in  writing  his  history.  The  calendar  stone  of  the  Aztecs, 
a  representation  of  which  is  given  in  the  Native  Races,  may 
be  examined  with  interest;  also  the  paintings  of  the  Aztec 
cycle,  the  Aztec  year,  and  the  Aztec  month.  Some  remains 
of  Central  American  aboriginal  literature  are  preserved  in 
the  manuscript  Troano,  reproduced  in  lithography  by  the 
French  government. 

The  sixteenth-century  productions  relating  to  America,  taken 
as  one  class,  begin  with  the  letters  of  Columbus  written  during 
the  last  decade  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Of  these  there  were 
printed  two,  with  one  by  a  friend  of  the  admiral,  and  the 
papal  bull  of  Alexander  VI.,  in  1493,  making  four  plaquettes 
printed  prior  to  1500.  Then  came  more  papal  bulls  and 
more  letters,  and  narratives  of  voyages  by  many  navigators ; 
there  were  maps,  and  globes,  and  cosmographies,  and  numer- 
ous "  mundus  novus  "  books,  conspicuous  among  their  writers 
being  Vespucci,  Peter  Martyr,  the  authors  of  Ptolemfs 
Gcographia,  and  Enciso,  who  printed  in  15 19  his  Siuna  de 
Geografia.  After  these  were  iiinerarios  and  relaciones  by 
Juan  Diaz,  Cortes,  and  others.  The  doughty  deeds  of  Pe- 
drarias  Davila  were  sung  in  1525,  and  not  long  afterward 
the  writings  of  the  chronicler  Oviedo  began  to  appear  in 
print.     In  1532  appeared  the  Dc  Insulis  of  Cortes  and  Mar- 


Il6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

tyr,  and  in  1534  the  Chrojiica  of  Aniandus,  and  some  letters 
by  Francisco  Pizarro.  Between  1540  and  1550  were  divers 
plaquettes,  besides  the  Relaciones  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  the 
Comentarios  of  Pedro  Hernandez,  and  the  Apologia  of 
SeiDulveda, 

The  chief  works  touching  the  Pacific  States  territory  which 
appeared  during  the  last  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  were 
those  of  Las  Casas,  Gomara,  Benzoni,  Monardes,  Fernando 
Colon,  Palacio,  Acosta,  Perez,  and  Padilla.  The  many  ac- 
counts of  voyages  and  collections  of  voyages,  such  as  Ramu- 
sio,  Huttich,  and  Hakluyt,  appearing  during  this  period,  and 
the  hundreds  of  ordena7izas,  niievas  kyes,  and  cedu/as,  I  can- 
not here  enumerate.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to  mention  here  the 
oft-described  earliest  books  printed  in  America. 

New  chroniclers,  historians,  compilers  of  voyages,  cosmog- 
raphers,  and  geographers  came  forward  during  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries.  Among  these  were  Ens, 
Philoponus,  the  author  of  IVest-Indisc/ie  Spieghei,  Gottfried, 
D'Avity,  Ogilby,  Montanus,  Garcia,  Herrera,  Torquemada, 
Villagra,  Simon,  De  Bry,  Purchas,  Bernal  Diaz,  Pizarro  y 
Orellana,  De  Laet,  Gage,  Soils,  Cogolludo,  Piedrahita,  Ve- 
tancurt,  and  some  English  books  on  the  Scots  at  Darien; 
there  were  likewise  innumerable  sermons,  and  the  De  Indi- 
arum  Ivre  of  Solorzano  Pereira,  the  views  of  Grotius,  the 
Teatro  Eclesidstico  of  Gil  Gonzalez  Davila,  and  other  kindred 
works.  The  mission  chronicles  were  a  literary  feature  of  the 
times,  and  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  epoch  come  the  Eng- 
lish, French,  and  Dutch  voyages  of  circumnavigation. 

The  name  of  Humboldt  stands  prominent  at  the  begin- 
ning of  nineteenth-century  Pacific  States  literature ;  and  near 
him  the  Mexican  liistorian  Bustamante.  Then  follow  Escu- 
dero,  Prescott,  Irving,  Alaman,  Carbajal  Espinosa,  Chevalier, 
Brantz  Mayer,  Domenech, —  among  voyagers  and  collections 
of  voyages,  Krusenstern,  Langsdorff,  Lisiansky,  Kotzebue, 
Roquefcuil,  Beechy,  Petit-Thouars,  Laplace,  Duhaut-Cilly, 
Belcher,  Simpson,  and  Wilkes,  Burney,  Pinkerton,  Richard- 
crie.  La  Harpe,  and  Aiinalcs  dcs  Voyages. 


THE    LIBRARY.  II7 

Collections  of  original  documents  are  a  feature  of  this  cen- 
tury, conspicuous  among  which  are  those  of  Navarrete,  Ter- 
naux-Compans,  Buckingham  Smith,  Icazbalceta,  Calvo,  Pa- 
checo  and  Cardenas,  and  of  somewhat  kindred  character  the 
works  of  Sahagun,  Veytia,  Cavo,  Tezozomoc,  Scherzer,  Bras- 
seur  de  Bourbourg,  Palacio,  Landa,  Duran,  IMota  Padilla, 
Mendieta, —  and  more  relating  to  the  aborigines,  the  works 
of  Cabrera,  Leon  y  Gama,  Morton,  Bradford,  Catlin,  Bos- 
cana,  Holmberg,  Miiller,  Baldwin,  Dupaix,  Waldeck,  Nebel, 
Catherwood,  Charnay,  Adelung,  Du  Ponceau,  Veniamino, 
Ludewig,  Pimentel,  Orozco  y  Berra,  Arenas,  Amaro,  Molina, 
Avila,  and  many  others.  The  century  presents  a  lengthy  list 
of  valuable  books  of  travel,  and  physical  and  political  de- 
scriptions, such  as  the  works  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,  James, 
Hunter,  Cox,  Stephens,  Squier,  Strangeways,  Montgomery, 
Dunlop,  Byam,  MoUhausen,  Robinson,  Biyant,  Bayard  Tay- 
lor, De  Mofras,  and  a  thousand  others,  covering  the  entire 
range  of  territory  from  Alaska  to  Panama.  Periodical  litera- 
ture likewise  assumes  importance. 

With  regard  to  maps,  the  field  resembles  that  of  the  books 
in  these  respects,  that  it  dates  from  the  fifteenth  century  and 
is  without  end.  It  would  appear  that  somewhere  such  labors 
should  end ;  yet  I  suspect  that  my  works,  as  full  and  complete 
as  I  can  make  them,  Avill  prove  only  the  foundation  of  a  hun- 
dred far  more  attractive  volumes.  In  our  examination  of 
maps  we  may  if  we  like  go  back  to  the  chart  of  the  brothers 
Zeno,  drawn  in.  1390,  following  with  Behaim's  globe  in  1492, 
Juan  de  la  Cosa's  map  in  1500,  and  those  by  Ruysch  in  1508, 
Peter  Martyr,  151 1,  that  in  the  Ptolemy's  Cosmography  of 
1 5 13,  those  in  the  Munich  Atlas  and  Schoner's  globe,  1520, 
Colon's  and  Ribero's,  drawn  in  1527  and  1529  respectively, 
Orontius  Fine  in  1531,  and  Castillo,  1541,  showing  the  penin- 
sula of  California,  after  which  the  number  becomes  numerous. 

In  my  collection  of  manuscripts,  taken  as  a  whole,  perhaps 
the  ConciUos  Provinciaks  Afexicanos  should  be  mentioned  first. 


Il8  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

It  is  in  four  volumes,  and  is  a  record  of  the  first  three  eccle- 
siastical councils  held  in  Mexico ;  in  comparison  with  which 
a  number  of  more  strictly  religious  works  are  hardly  worth 
mentioning — for  example,  the  Catecismo  hecho  por  el  Concilio 
IV.  Mexicaao;  the  Explicacion  de  la  dodrina  hecha por  el  Con- 
cilio IV.;  Qumarraga,  Joannes  de,  Pastoral,  in  Latin ;  the  Mo- 
ralia  S.  Gregorii  Papa,  and  the  like. 

Of  more  value  are  the  Scrinones,  of  the  discwsos  panegiri- 
cos  stamp,  and  other  branches  of  the  religio-historical  type, 
while  the  worth  of  such  works  as  Materiales  para  la  Historia 
de  Sonora,  the  same  of  Texas,  Nueva  Galicia,  Nueva  Vizcaya, 
and  other  provinces  thereabout,  secured  mostly  from  the  Max- 
imiUan  collection,  is  past  computation.  Among  the  hundreds 
of  titles  which  present  themselves  having  greater  or  less  claims 
to  importance  are  Memorias  de  Mexico ;  Rivera,  Diario  Qi- 
rioso ;  Mexico,  Archivo  General ;  Beaumont,  Cronica  de  la 
Provincia  de  S.  Pedro  y  S.  Pablo  de  MccJwacan ;  Cartas 
Auiericanas  j  Gomez,  Diario  de  Mexico.  Some  of  the  Squier 
manuscripts  are  Grijalva,  Relacion  ;  Andagoya,  Carta  ;  Yza- 
giiirre,  Relacion  j  Alvarado,  Cartas  ;  Cerezeda,  Carta,  and  Re- 
lacion ;  Viana,  Gallego,  and  Cadena,  Relacion ;  Criado  de 
Castilla,  Relacion  ;  Ddvila,  Relacion  ;  Documentos  relativos  a 
la  Historia  de  la  Audiencia  de  los  Confines  ;  Leon  Pinelo,  Re- 
lacion, and  Velasco,  Capitulos  de  Carta.  From  the  Ramirez 
collection  I  obtained  Rcales  Cedillas,  Realcs  Ordenanzas, 
Leyes,  etc. ;  Adas  Provinciates  ;  Albieuri,  Historia  de  las  Mi- 
siones ;  Autos  formados  a  Pcdimento  de  esta  Nobles sima  ciit- 
dad ;  Figueroa,  Vindicias  ;  Papeles  de  Jesuitas  ;  Disturbios  de 
Frailes ;  Noticias  de  la  Nueva  California ;  Morfi,  Apuntes 
sobre  el  Nuevo  Mexico  ;  Montevcrde,  Memoria  sobre  Sonora  ; 
Monumentos  Historicos ;  Relacion  de  la  Orden  de  San  Fran- 
cisco en  la  Nueva  EspaHa  ;  Memorias  para  la  Historia  de  la 
Provincia  de  Sinaloa  ;  Tamaron,  Visiia  del  obispado  de  Du- 
rango ;  Tumultos  de  Mexico,  and  many  others. 

As  to  the  hundreds  of  manuscript  volumes  of  copied  ar- 
chives, histories,  and  narratives  upon  which  the  histories  of 
the  northern  luilfof  the  i'acific  territory  are  based,  it  is  useless 


THE    LIBRARY.  II9 

here  to  attempt  any  mention ;  I  can  only  refer  the  reader  to 
the  bibhographical  notices  in  my  histories  of  that  region,  and 
to  other  places,  where  somewhat  more  space  is  devoted  to 
the  subject.  It  is  impossible  to  give  in  a  few  chapters  any 
adequate  idea  of  the  vast  army  of  authors,  arranged  in  bat- 
talions, regiments,  and  companies,  quartered  in  the  library 
building  on  Valencia  street.  The  best  exposition  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  books  of  the  Hbrary  may  be  found  in  my  volume 
of  £ssaj's  and  Miscellany,  where  I  devote  four  chapters  to 
the  literature  of  the  territory  covered  by  my  writings,  entitled, 
respectively,  Literature  of  Central  America;  Literature  of 
Colonial  Mexico;  Literature  of  Mexico  during  the  Present 
Century;  and  Early  California  Literature.  These  chapters, 
together  with  the  bibliographical  notes  carried  through  all 
my  historical  works,  and  which  I  have  endeavored  to  make 
systematic,  thorough,  and  complete,  constitute  not  only  a 
description  of  the  contents  of  the  library,  but  a  very  fair  his- 
tory and  analysis  of  Pacific  States  literature,  the  library  con- 
taining as  it  does  the  entire  literature  of  these  lands.  While 
thousands  of  authors  must  obviously  remain  unmentioned,  yet 
in  spirit  and  in  essence  the  writings  of  the  place  and  time  are 
fairly  presented,  the  object  being  to  tell  so  far  as  possible  all 
that  has  been  done  in  the  various  fields  of  learning  and  letters. 

In  these  chapters  are  presented  not  only  results,  but 
causes,  whence  emerged,  under  conditions  favorable  or  un- 
favorable, natural  or  abnormal  developments.  The  colonial 
literature  of  Central  America  and  Mexico  was  some  advance 
on  the  aboriginal,  though  not  so  great  as  many  imagine ;  but 
when  we  reach  the  republican  era  of  material  and  mental 
development,  we  find  a  marked  change.  The  Pacific  United 
States  are  bringing  forth  some  strong  men  and  strong  books, 
if  thus  far  authors  of  repute  have  come  as  a  rule  from  beyond 
the  border-line,  and  are  not  sons  of  the  soil. 

A  collection  of  books,  like  everything  else,  has  its  history 
and  individuality.  Particularly  is  this  the  case  in  regard  to 
collections  limited  to  a  special  subject,  time,  or  territory. 
Such  are  the  result  of  birth  and  growth  ;  they  are  not  found 


I20  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

in  the  market  for  sale,  ready  made ;  there  must  have  been 
sometime  the  engendering  idea,  followed  by  a  long  natural 
development. 

From  the  ordinary  point  of  view  there  is  nothing  remarkable 
in  gathering  50,000  volumes  and  providing  a  building  for  their 
reception.  There  are  many  libraries  larger  than  this,  some  of 
them  having  been  founded  and  carried  forward  by  an  individ- 
ual, who,  without  government  or  other  aid,  likewise  erected  a 
building  for  his  books.  Nevertheless,  there  are  some  remark- 
able features  about  this  collection,  some  important  points  in 
connection  therewith,  which  cannot  be  found  elsewhere. 

First,  as  a  historical  library  it  stands  apart  from  any  other, 
being  the  largest  collection  in  the  world  of  books,  maps,  and 
manuscripts  relating  to  a  special  territory,  time,  or  subject. 
There  are  larger  masses  of  historical  data  lodged  in  certain 
archives  or  libraries,  but  they  are  more  general,  or  perhaps 
universal,  relating  to  all  lands  and  peoples,  and  not  to  so 
limited  an  area  of  the  earth.  And  when  the  further  facts 
are  considered,  how  recently  this  country  was  settled,  and 
how  thinly  peopled  it  now  is  as  compared  with  what  it  will 
be  some  day,  the  difference  is  still  more  apparent. 

Secondly,  it  gives  to  each  section  of  the  area  covered  more 
full,  complete,  and  accurate  data  concerning  its  early  history 
than  any  state  or  nation  in  the  civiHzed  world,  outside  of  this 
territory,  has  or  ever  can  have.  So  long  as  this  collection  is 
kept  intact,  and  neither  burned  nor  scattered,  California, 
Oregon,  and  the  rest  of  these  Pacific  commonwealths  may 
find  here  fuller  material  regarding  their  early  history  than 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  or  any  other  American  state,  than 
England,  Germany,  Italy,  or  any  other  European  nation. 
The  reason  is  obvious  :  they  missed  their  opportunity ;  not 
one  of  them  can  raise  the  dead  or  gather  from  oblivion  that 
which  is  lost  and  forgotten. 
A  Third,  it  has  been  put  to  a  more  systematic  and  practical 
;  use  than  any  other  historical  library  in  the  world.  I  have 
never  heard  of  any  considerable  collection  being  indexed 
according  to  the  subject-matter  contained  in  each  volume, 


THE    LIBRARY.  121 

as  has  been  the  case  here;  or  of  such  a  mass  of  crude  his- 
toric matter  being  ever  before  worked  over,  winnowed,  and 
the  parts  worth  preserving  written  out  and  printed  for  general 
use,  as  has  been  done  in  this  instance. 

Says  an  eminent  writer:  "Respecting  Mr.  Bancroft's 
Pacific  Library  as  a  storehouse  of  historic  data,  pertaining 
to  this  broad  and  new  western  land,  but  one  opinion  has 
been  expressed  during  the  twenty  years  that  the  existence  of 
such  an  institution  has  been  known  to  the  world.  In  all  that 
has  been  said  or  written,  at  home  or  abroad,  by  friend  or  foe, 
by  admirers,  indifl:erent  observers,  conservative  critics,  or 
hypercritical  fault-finders,  there  has  been  entire  unanimity  of 
praise  of  the  library  as  a  collection  of  historic  data.  Disin- 
terested and  impartial  visitors,  after  a  personal  inspection, 
have  invariably  shown  a  degree  of  admiration  far  exceeding 
that  of  the  warmest  friends  who  knew  the  library  only  from 
description.  The  praise  of  those  who  might  be  supposed  to 
be  influenced  to  some  extent  by  local  pride  has  never  equalled 
that  of  prominent  scholars  from  the  east  and  Europe. 

"There  is  no  American  collection  with  which  this  can 
fairly  be  compared.  There  are  other  large  and  costly  private 
libraries;  but  the  scope,  plan,  and  purpose  of  the  Bancroft 
Library  place  it  beyond  the  possibility  of  comparison.  It  is 
made  up  exclusively  of  printed  and  manuscript  matter  per- 
taining to  the  Pacific  States,  from  Alaska  to  Panama.  To 
say  that  it  is  superior  to  any  other  in  its  own  field  goes  for 
little,  because  there  are  lui  others  of  any  great  magnitude; 
but  when  we  can  state  truthfully  that  nowhere  in  the  world 
is  there  a  similar  collection  equal  to  it,  the  assertion  means 
something.  And  not  only  does  this  collection  thus  excel  all 
others  as  a  whole,  but  a  like  excellence  is  apparent  for  each 
of  its  parts.  In  it  may  be  found,  for  instance,  a  better  library 
of  Mexican  works,  of  Central  American  works,  of  Pacific 
United  States  works,  than  elsewhere  exists.  And  to  go  fur- 
ther, it  may  be  said  to  contain  a  more  perfect  collection  on 
Alaska,  on  New  Mexico,  on  Texas,  on  Colorado,  on  Utah, 
on  Costa  Rica,  and  the  other  individual  states  or  govern- 


122  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

ments  than  can  be  found  outside  its  walls.  Not  only  this, 
but  in  several  cases,  notably  that  of  Cahfomia,  this  library  is 
regarded  as  incomparably  superior  to  any  state  collection 
existing,  or  that  could  at  this  date  be  formed  in  all  the  United 
States  or  Europe. 

"  There  is  no  other  state  or  country  whose  historic  data 
have  been  so  thoroughly  collected  at  so  early  a  period  of  its 
existence,  especially  none  whose  existence  has  been  so  varied 
and  eventful,  and  its  record  so  complicated  and  perishable. 
Mr.  Bancroft  has  attempted,  and  successfully  as  is  believed, 
to  do  for  his  country  a  work  which  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
events  would  have  been  left  for  a  succession  of  historical 
societies  and  specialists  to  do  in  a  later  generation,  after  the 
largest  part  of  the  material  had  been  lost,  and  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  purpose  would  be  absolutely  impossible.  Then, 
too,  from  such  work  the  resulting  stores  of  data,  besides  their 
comparative  paucity,  would  be  scattered,  and  not  accessible 
as  a  whole  to  any  single  investigator.  The  advantage  of 
having  such  historic  treasures  in  one  place  rather  than  in 
many  is  almost  as  obvious  as  that  of  preventing  the  loss  of 
valuable  material." 

In  this  connection  it  is  worthy  of  our  serious  consideration 
how  the  future  great  libraries  of  the  world  will  procure  those 
ancient  and  important  works  which  constitute  at  once  the 
foundation  and  the  treasure  of  every  great  collection.  How- 
ever it  may  be  some  time  hence,  it  is  certain  that  at  the 
present  day  no  collection  of  books,  is  worthy  of  the  name  of 
library  without  a  fair  share  of  these  rare  and  valuable  works. 
Particularly  is  this  the  case  in  our  own  country,  where  the 
value  and  importance  of  every  library  must  depend,  not  on 
Elzevir  editions,  elaborate  church  missals,  or  other  old-world 
curiosities,  often  as  worthless  as  they  are  costly,  but  on  works 
of  material  interest  and  value  relating  to  the  discovery,  con- 
quest, settlement,  and  development  of  America,  in  its  many 
parts  from  south  to  north,  and  east  to  west,  from  the  days  of 
Columbus  to  the  present  time  —  books  becoming  every  day 
rarer  and  more  costly. 


THE    LIBRARY.  I23 

A  prominent  New  York  bookseller  thus  prints  in  his  cata- 
logue, in  regard  to  old  and  valuable  books  as  an  investment : 
"  We  have  often,  in  the  course  of  our  experience  as  book- 
sellers, heard  more  or  less  comment  on  our  prices.  '  You 
have  good  books  and  rare  books,'  our  customers  will  say, 
*  but  your  prices  are  high.'  And  yet  there  is  not  a  collector 
in  the  country  who  would  not  be  glad  to  have  books  in  his 
line  at  prices  catalogued  by  us  three  or  four  years  ago,  could 
we  supply  them  at  the  same  prices  now.  So  it  may  be  safely 
affirmed  that  in  rare  books  the  tendency  of  prices  is  upward, 
the  number  of  collectors  increasing,  and  the  difficulty  in 
finding  good  books  also  increasing.  We  have  always  found 
it  more  difficult  to  obtain  a  really  rare  book  in  good  condi- 
tion than  to  sell  it.  To  the  genuine  lover  of  books  it  may  be 
said :  First  find  the  book  you  want,  then  buy  it,  and  if  you 
think  you  have  been  extravagant,  repent  at  your  leisure,  and 
by  the  time  you  have  truly  repented  the  book  will  have 
increased  sufficiently  in  value  to  give  you  full  absolution," 

The  time  will  come,  indeed,  when  men  will  cease  their 
efforts  to  measure  the  value  of  knowledge  by  money. 

Thus  in  these  various  forms  and  attitudes  the  magnitude 
and  importance  of  my  work  were  constantly  urging  me  on. 
This  western  coast,  it  seemed  to  me  as  I  came  to  know  and 
love  it,  is  the  best  part  of  the  United  States,  a  nation  occupy- 
ing the  best  part  of  the  two  Americas,  and  rapidly  becoming 
one  of  the  most  intellectual  and  powerful  in  the  world.  Its 
early  history  and  all  the  data  connected  with  it  which  can  be 
gathered  are  of  corresponding  importance. 

Nor  is  this  view  so  extravagant  as  to  some  it  may  appear. 
Already  New  England  is  physically  on  the  decline,  while 
there  is  surely  as  much  mental  vigor  west  as  east.  Along  the 
Atlantic  seaboard  are  thousands  of  farms  which  will  not 
sell  for  what  the  improvements  cost,  while  the  extremes  of 
climate  are  killing  and  driving  away.  Work  has  only  as  yet 
begun  on  the  Pacific  seaboard,  where  are  millions  of  unoc- 
cupied acres,  ten  of  which  with  proper  cultivation  will  sup- 


124  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

port  a  family  in  comfort.  The  com^monwealths  of  the  New 
World  are  becoming  more  and  more  united  under  the  benefi- 
cent influences  of  peace  and  progress ;  and  the  Monroe  doc- 
trine, at  first  negative  rather  than  positive  in  its  assertions,  is 
pointing  the  way  toward  world-wide  domination  by  American 
brotherhood.  The  greatest  of  republics  has  entered  upon  its 
second  century  of  national  existence  under  circumstances 
more  favorable  than  have  ever  before  been  vouchsafed  to 
man.  The  integrity  of  the  Union  has  been  tried  and  preserved ; 
the  stain  of  slavery  has  been  eradicated ;  and  while  there  is 
yet  enough  of  corruption  and  licentiousness,  political  and 
social,  there  is  more  than  enough  of  good  to  counterbalance 
the  evil.  In  moral  health  'and  intellectual  freedom  we  are 
second  to  none,  and  so  rapidly  is  our  wealth  increasing  that 
England  will  soon  be  left  behind  in  the  race  for  riches.  Give 
to  the  United  States  one  half  of  the  five  centuries  in  which 
Rome  was  established  as  the  mistress  of  the  world,  and  the 
American  republic  cannot  be  otherwise  if  she  would  than  the 
most  powerful  nation  on  earth.  And  when  that  time  comes, 
California  and  the  commonwealths  on  this  Pacific  seaboard 
will  be  a  seat  of  culture  and  power  to  which  all  roads  shall 
lead. 

Therefore  I  give  myself  no  concern  as  to  the  importance 
or  ultimate  appreciation  of  my  work,  however  humble  or  im- 
perfect may  be  the  instrument  of  its  accomplishment.  And 
of  the  two  sections,  the  historical  narrative  proper  and  the 
biographical  section,  in  the  latter  I  should  say  have  been  pre- 
served even  more  of  the  invaluable  experiences  of  the  build- 
ers of  these  commonwealths  than  in  the  former.  The  biogra- 
phies and  characterizations  of  the  eminent  personages  who, 
during  the  first  fifty  years  of  the  existence  of  the  Pacific  com- 
monwealths, laid  the  foundations  of  empire,  built  upon  them 
with  such  marvellous  rapidity,  skill  and  intelligence,  and  sur- 
rounded them  with  the  framework  of  the  material  conditions 
out  of  which  was  evolved  their  magnificent  destiny,  contain 
vast  magazines  of  valuable  knowledge  almost  entirely  new 
and  nowhere  else  existing. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DESPERATE    ATTEMPTS  AT  GREAT  THINGS. 

Some  have  been  scene  to  bite  their  pen,  scratch  their  head,  bend  their 
brovves,  bite  their  lips,  beat  the  boord,  teare  their  paper,  when  they  were 
faire  for  somewhat,  and  caught  nothing  therein. — Cavidcn. 

HEAPS  and  heaps  of  diamonds  and — sawdust !    Good  gold 
and  genuine  silver,  pearls  and  oyster-shells,  copper  and 
iron  mixed  with  refuse  and  debris — such  was  the  nature  and 
condition  of  my  collection  in  1869,  before  any  considerable 
labor  had  been  bestowed  upon  it.    Surrounded  by  these  accu-   f 
mulations,  I  sat  in  an  embarrassment  of  wealth.     Chaff  and  ( 
wheat;  wheat,  straw,  and  dirt;  where  was  the  brain  or  the   ' 
score  of  brains  to  do  this  winnowing  ?  .j 

What  winnowing  ?     I  never  promised  myself  or  any  one  ^1 
to  do  more  than  to  gather ;  never  promised  even  that,  and    i 
probably,  had  I  known  in  the  beginning  what  was  before  me, 
I  never  should  have  undertaken  it.     Was  it  not  enough  to 
mine  for  the  precious  metal  without  having  to  attempt  the 
more  delicate  and  difficult  task  of  melting  down  the  mass  j 
and  refining  it,  when  I  knew  nothing  of  the  process  ?     But  \ 
I  could  at  least  arrange  my  accumulations  in  some  kind  of    | 
order,  and  even  dignify  them  by  the  name  of  library.  ' 

During  my  last  visit  abroad  Mr.  Knight  had  been  clipping 
in  a  desultory  manner  from  Pacific  coast  journals,  and  classi- 
fying the  results  under  numerous  headings  in  scrap-books  and 
boxes;  and  I  had  also  at  that  time  an  arrangement  with  the 
literary  editor  of  the  New  York  Evcnmg  Post,  whereby  he 
clipped  from  European  and  American  journals,  and  for- 
warded to  San  Francisco,  monthly,  such  articles  of  value 
touching  the  Pacific  slope  as  fell  under  his  eye.     By  this 


126  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

means  much  pertinent  matter  was  saved  which  I  should 
never  otherwise  have  seen.  These  cHppings  were  all  arranged, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  under  such  divisions  as  suggested  them- 
selves. 

While  we  were  thus  engaged,  which  was  for  little  less  than 
a  year,  there  came  to  our  establishment  a  young  man,  a 
native  of  New  England,  Henrj  L.  Oak  by  name,  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  S.  F.  Barst'ow  for  the  position  of  office-editor 
of  a  journal  called  The  Occident,  which  our  firm  was  then 
publishing  for  a  religious  association. 

Knight  was  then  manager  of  the  publishing  department, 
and  to  him  Mr.  Oak  was  introduced.  I  had  not  yet  returned 
from  the  east,  where  I  remained  some  time  on  my  way  back 
from  Europe,  After  talking  the  matter  over  with  the  persons 
interested,  Mr.  Oak  was  finally  installed  in  the  position.  His 
predecessor  remained  a  few  weeks,  to  instruct  him  in  his 
duties,  and  thereafter  he  filled  the  position  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned.  These  duties  consisted  at  first  of  writing 
the  news  items  and  minor  editorial  notes,  making  selections 
from  printed  matter,  reading  proof,  folding  and  mailing 
papers,  keeping  accounts,  corresponding  with  contributors 
and  subscribers,  and  collecting  bills.  Gradually  the  whole 
burden  of  editing  the  journal  fell  on  him.  The  persons  inter- 
ested failing  to  carry  out  their  agreement,  the  firm  declined 
further  publication  of  the  journal,  and  the  young  editor  was 
thrown  out  of  employment.  Thus  the  matter  stood  on  my 
return  from  the  east,  and  then  my  attention  was  first  directed 
to  Mr.  Oak. 

Meanwhile  I  had  engaged  as  assistant,  and  finally  suc- 
cessor, to  Mr.  Knight,  an  Englishman  of  erratic  disposition, 
who  called  himself  Bosquctti.  He  was  remarkably  quick 
and  clear-headed  in  some  directions,  and  a  good  talker  on 
almost  any  subject.  Large  additions  had  lately  been  made 
to  the  library;  there  were  some  wagon  loads  of  old  musty 
books,  apparently  unfit  for  anything,  wliich  had  been  thrust 
promiscuously  as  received  into  large  bins  in  a  corner  of  the 


DESPERATE  ATTEMPTS  AT  GREAT  THINGS.      1 27 

second  floor  wareroom  of  the  Merchant-street  building,  before 
mentioned. 

Bosquetti  was  directed  to  arrange  and  catalogue  these 
volumes.  He  had  some  knowledge  of  books  and  even  of 
cataloguing,  but  his  mind  was  not  remarkable  for  breadth  or 
depth;  the  capabihty  to  produce  finished  results  was  want- 
ing. He  had  been  thus  occupied  about  a  month  when  I 
engaged  Mr.  Oak  to  assist  him.  Oak  knew  little  of  books 
except  such  as  he  had  studied  at  college,  and  professed  to 
know  nothing  of  cataloguing;  but  he  possessed  to  an  emineiit 
degree  that  rarest  of  qualities,  common  sense.  Within  a  few 
weeks  he  had  familiarized  himself  with  the  best  systems,  im- 
proving on  them  all  in  many  respects,  or  at  least  he  had 
taken  from  them  such  parts  as  best  suited  his  purpose  and 
had  applied  them  to  it.  Thick  medium  writing  paper  was 
cut  to  a  uniform  size,  three  and  a  half  by  five  inches,  and  the 
full  titles  were  written  thereon;  these  were  then  abridged  on 
smaller  cards,  two  and  a  half  by  four  inches,  and  finally 
copied  alphabetically  in  a  blank  book  made  for  that  purpose. 
The  United  States  Government  documents  were  examined, 
a  list  of  volumes  needed  to  fill  sets  was  made  out,  and  the 
contents  of  those  at  hand  determined.  A  copy  was  likewise 
made  of  the  catalogue  of  the  San  Diego  archives,  kindly 
furnished  by  Judge  Hayes,  which  subsequently  fell  to  me  as 
part  of  the  collection  purchased  from  him.  Shortly  afterward 
Bosquetti  decamped,  leaving  Oak  alone  in  his  work,  which 
he  pursued  untiringly  for  over  a  year.  Indeed,  he  may  be 
said  to  have  done  the  whole  of  the  cataloguing  himself,  for 
what  his  coadjutor  had  "written  was  of  little  practical  benefit. 

The  flight  of  Bosquetti  was  in  this  v\dse  :  First  I  sent  him 
to  Sacramento  to  make  a  list  of  such  books  on  California  as 
were  in  the  state  library.  This  he  accomplished  to  my  satis- 
faction. On  his  return,  having  heard  of  some  valuable  mate- 
rial at  Santa  Clara  college,  I  sent  him  down  to  copy  it.  A 
month  passed,  during  which  time  he  wrote  me  regularly,  re- 
porting his  doings,  what  the  material  consisted  of,  what  the 
priests  said  to  him,  and  how  he  was  progressing  in  his  labors. 


125  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

He  drew  his  pay  religiously,  the  money  both  for  salary  and  ex- 
penses being  promptly  sent  him.  It  did  not  occur  to  me  that 
there  was  anything  wrong.  He  had  been  with  me  now  for 
several  months  and  I  had  never  had  cause  to  distrust  him, 
until  one  day  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  at  which  he  lodged 
wrote  me,  saying  that  he  understood  the  gentleman  to  be  in 
my  service,  and  he  thought  it  but  right  to  inform  me  that 
since  he  came  to  his  house  he  had  been  most  of  the  time  in 
a  state  of  beastly  intoxication  and  had  not  done  a  particle 
o£work.  When  his  bottle  became  low  he  would  sober  up 
enough  to  make  a  visit  to  the  college,  write  me  a  letter, 
receive  his  pay,  and  buy  more  liquor. 

In  some  way  Bosquetti  learned  that  I  had  been  informed 
of  his  conduct,  and  not  choosing  to  wait  for  my  benediction, 
he  wrote  me  a  penitent  letter  and  turned  his  face  southward, 
seemingly  desirous  above  all  to  widen  the  distance  between 
us.  I  was  satisfied  to  be  rid  of  him  at  the  cost  of  a  few  hun- 
dred dollars. 

Oak  was  thus  left  in  sole  charge  of  the  literary  accumula- 
tions, of  which  he  was  duly  installed  librarian.  When  the 
card  copying  was  nearly  completed  the  books  were  alphabeti- 
cally arranged,  tied  up  in  packages,  and  placed  in  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  large  cases,  in  which  shape,  in  May, 
1870,  they  were  transferred  to  the  fifth  floor  of  the  new  and 
still  unfinished  building  on  Market  street.  After  superintend- 
ing their  removal  the  librarian  daily  climbed  a  series  of  ladders 
to  one  of  the  side  rooms  of  the  new  library,  where  a  floor  had 
been  laid  and  a  table  placed.  There  he  continued  copying 
into  a  book  the  contents  of  the  small  cards  previously  pre- 
pared, and  thus  made  the  first  manuscript  catalogue  of  the 
library,  which  was  in  daily  use  for  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
He  was  assisted  during  part  of  the  time  by  a  cousin  of  mine, 
son  of  my  most  esteemed  friend  and  uncle,  W.  W.  Bancroft, 
of  Granville.  Shelving  was  then  constructed;  the  cases  were 
opened,  and  the  books  placed  alphabetically  upon  the  shelves. 
During  this  time  I  made  some  passes  at  literature,  writing  for 
the  most  part  at  my  residence.     Shortly  after  we  had  fairly 


DESPERATE   ATTEMPTS   AT   GREAT   THINGS.  1 29 

moved  into  the  Market-street  building,  my  brother  returned 
with  his  family  from  their  European  tour.  The  business  out- 
look was  not  flattering,  but  nevertheless  we  pressed  forward, 
well  knowing  that  to  falter  was  to  be  lost. 

During  the  autumn  of  1870  Mr.  Oak  continued  his  labors 
on  the  fifth  floor,  cataloguing  new  lots  of  books  as  they  came 
in,  arranging  maps,  briefs,  and  newspapers,  copying  and  clip- 
ping bibliographical  notes  from  catalogues,  and  taking  care 
of  the  books.  It  was  still  my  intention  in  due  time  to  issue 
a  bibliography  of  the  Pacific  coast,  which  should  include  all 
of  my  own  collection  and  as  many  more  titles  as  I  could  find. 
Before  the  end  of  the  year  there  was  quite  a  pile  of  my 
own  manuscript  on  my  table  and  in  the  drawers,  mono- 
graphs, mostly,  on  subjects  and  incidents  connected  with  the 
Pacific  coast.  All  my  thoughts  were  on  history,  and  kindred 
topics.  Pacific  States  history,  and  the  many  quaint  and  curious 
things  and  remarkable  and  thrilling  events  connected  with  it, 
I  was  passionately  fond  of  writing ;  I  would  take  up  a  subject 
here  or  an  episode  there  and  write  it  up  for  the  pure  pleas- 
ure it  gave  me,  and  every  day  I  found  myself  able  to  place 
my  thoughts  on  paper  with  greater  ease  and  facility.  But 
even  yet  I  had  no  well-defined  intentions  of  writing  a  book 
for  publication.  The  responsibility  was  greater  than  I  cared 
to  assume.  I  had  seen  in  my  business  so  many  futile  attempts 
in  that  direction,  so  many  failures,  that  I  had  no  desire  to  add 
mine  to  the  number.  While  I  was  wavering  upon  this  border 
land  of  doubt  and  hesitancy,  Mr.  Oak  concluded  to  visit  his 
old  home  and  pass  the  winter  with  his  friends  at  the  east. 

I  continued  Avriting,  though  in  a  somewhat  desultory  man- 
ner ;  the  idea  of  anything  more  systematic  at  this  time  was 
somewhat  repugnant  to  me.  As  yet  my  feebly  kindled  enthu- 
siasm refused  to  bum  brightly.  I  longed  to  do  something,  I 
did  not  know  what ;  I  longed  to  do  great  things,  I  did  not 
know  how !  I  longed  to  say  something,  I  had  nothing  to 
say.  And  yet  I  would  write  as  if  my  life  depended  on  it, 
and  if  ever  what  seemed  to  me  a  bright  thought  or  happy 
9 


130  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

expression  fell  from  my  pen  my  breast  would  swell  as  if  I 
saw  it  written  in  the  heavens,  though  the  next  moment  I 
consigned  it  to  a  dungeon,  there  to  remain  perhaps  forever. 
Much  of  what  I  last  published  was  thus  first  written.  The 
difficulty,  so  far  as  more  systematic  effort  was  concerned,  was 
to  flee  the  incubus  of  care  and  of  pecuniary  responsibility 
that  leech-like  had  fastened  themselves  upon  me  these  twenty 
years,  and  now  threatened  destruction  to  any  plans  I  might 
make.  For  weeks  at  a  time  I  would  studiously  avoid  the 
library,  like  a  jilted  lover  hating  the  habitation  of  his  mis- 
tress ;  and  the  more  I  kept  away  the  more  the  place  became 
distasteful  to  me.  Then  I  would  arouse  myself,  resolve  and 
re-resolve,  dissipate  depressing  doubts,  shut  my  eyes  to  former 
slights,  and  turn  to  the  dwelling  of  my  love. 

Long  before  I  had  a  thought  of  writing  anything  myself 
for  pubUcation,  the  plan  of  an  encyclopaedia  of  the  Pacific 
States  had  been  proposed  to  me  by  several  gentlemen  of 
California,  who  had  felt  the  need  of  such  a  work.  The  idea 
presented  itself  thus :  My  collection,  they  said,  was  composed 
of  every  species  of  matter  relating  to  the  coast  —  physical 
geography,  geology,  botany,  ethnology,  history,  biography, 
and  so  on  through  the  whole  range  of  knowledge.  Was  it 
not  desirable  to  give  to  the  world  the  fruits  of  such  a  field  in 
the  most  compact  shape,  and  was  not  an  encyclopaedia  the 
natural,  and  indeed  the  only  feasible,  form? 

I  did  not  at  all  fancy  the  task  which  they  would  thus  lay 
upon  me.  It  was  not  to  my  taste  merely  to  manipulate 
knowledge.  To  write  and  publish  a  treatise  on  every  subject 
embraced  within  the  categories  of  general  information  would 
be  a  task  almost  as  impracticable  as  to  reproduce  and  offer 
to  the  world  the  books  of  the  library  in  print.  Yet  it  was 
true  that  an  encyclopaedia  of  knowledge  relating  wholly  to 
the  territory  covered  by  the  collection,  which  should  supple- 
ment eastern  and  European  encyclopaedias,  would  certainly 
be  desirable.  The  volumes  should  be  rather  small,  and  the 
articles  which  treated  purely  of  Pacific  coast  matters  longer 
than  those  contained  in  other  encyclopaedias.    Some  subjects 


DESPERATE    ATTEMPTS    AT   GREAT   THINGS.  131 

might  occupy  a  whole  volume — as,  for  example,  bibhogra- 
phy,  mines  and  mining,  physical  geography,  ethnology — and 
might  be  published  separately,  if  necessary,  as  well  as  in  the 
series.  The  matter  was  discussed,  with  rising  or  falling  en- 
thusiasm, for  some  time. 

Mr.  Oak  returned  in  May,  187 1,  and  resumed  his  duties 
as  librarian.  He  spent  ten  days  in  attending  to  the  prepara- 
tion of  two  guide-books  for  tourists,  the  publication  of  which 
I  had  undertaken,  and  in  discussing  the  scheme  of  an  ency- 
clopaedia, which  I  finally  consented  to  edit.  I  then  began 
to  look  about  for  contributors.  It  was  desirable  at  once  to 
draw  out  as  much  as  possible  of  the  talent  latent  on  this  coast, 
and  to  secure  the  best  writers  for  the  work.  Circulars  were 
accordingly  issued,  not  only  to  men  eminent  in  literature  and 
the  professions,  but  to  pioneers,  and  to  all  likely  to  possess 
information,  stating  the  purpose  and  requesting  cooperation. 
To  several  of  the  judges,  lawyers,  physicians,  clergymen,  and 
others  in  San  Francisco  of  known  literary  tastes  and  talents, 
I  made  personal  appeals,  and  received  flattering  assurances. 

I  appointed  an  agent  in  New  York,  Mr.  Henry  P.  John- 
ston, then  of  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Sun,  to  call  on  Califor- 
nians  and  others  able  and  willing  to  write,  and  engage  their 
contributions.  Many  in  the  east  and  at  the  west  placed  their 
services  freely  at  my  disposal. 

A  number  of  other  projected  works  at  various  times  com- 
manded my  attention,  and  to  execute  them  would  have  given 
me  great  pleasure,  but  I  was  obliged  to  forego  the  attempt, 
a  thousand  years  of  life  not  having  been  allotted  me.  Among 
them  were  A  History  of  Gold;  Physical  Features  of  the 
Pacific  States;  a  volume  on  Interoceanic  Communication; 
one  on  Pacific  Railways;  a  series  of  volumes  of  condensed 
Voyages  and  Travels;  a  Geography  in  small  8vo;  also  a 
similar  volume  on  Ethnology,  and  one  on  History,  all  of  a 
popular  nature  embodying  certain  ideas  which  I  have  never 
seen  worked  out.  On  this  last  mentioned  project,  and  indeed 
on  some  of  the  others,  considerable  work  was  done.  I  likewise 
intended  to  print  fifty  or  one  hundred  of  the  most  valuable 


132  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

of  my  manuscripts  as  material  for  Pacific  States  history. 
Who  has  ever  Hved  and  labored  under  the  pressure  of  the 
cacoethes  scribendi,  without  promising  himself  to  write  a  dozen 
books  for  every  one  actually  written ! 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life,  health  now  began  to  fail. 
The  increasing  demands  of  the  vast  mercantile  and  manufac- 
turing structure  which  I  had  reared  drew  heavily  upon  my 
nervous  system.  I  grew  irritable,  was  at  times  despondent, 
and  occasionally  desperately  indifferent.  I  determined  on 
a  change  of  scene.  Accordingly  the  loth  of  May  I  started 
for  a  visit  to  the  east,  stopping  at  Salt  Lake  City  for  the 
purpose  of  enlisting  the  Mormons  in  my  behalf.  President 
Young  and  the  leading  elders  entered  heartily  into  my  pro- 
ject, and  a  scheme  was  devised  for  obtaining  information  from 
every  part  of  Utah.  A  schedule  of  the  material  required 
was  to  be  forwarded  through  the  channels  of  the  govern- 
ment, with  such  instructions  from  the  chief  authorities  as 
would  command  the  immediate  and  careful  attention  of  their 
subordinates  throughout  the  territory.  With  the  intention  of 
calling  on  my  return  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  plan 
I  continued  my  journey.  Then  I  fell  into  despondency. 
The  state  of  my  nerves,  and  the  uncertainty  of  my  financial 
future,  had  so  dissipated  ambition  that  much  of  the  time  I 
found  myself  in  a  mood  fitter  for  making  my  exit  from  the 
world  than  for  beginning  a  new  life  in  it. 

At  this  time  the  chances  that  any  important  results  would 
ever  emanate  from  the  library  through  my  efforts  were  very 
slight.  Gradually  I  abandoned  tlie  idea  of  having  anything 
to  do  with  an  encyclopaedia.  My  energies  were  sapped.  My 
grip  on  destiny  seemed  relaxing.  I  had  steered  the  ship  of 
business  until  I  was  exhausted,  and  the  storm  continuing,  I  left 
it  to  others,  little  caring,  for  my  own  part,  whether  it  weathered 
the  gale  or  not.  The  agony  had  been  too  long  drawn  out ;  if 
I  was  to  be  hanged,  let  me  be  hanged  and  have  done  with  it. 
Such  was  my  humor  during  the  summer  of  187 1,  as  I  lounged 
about  among  my  friends  at  the  cast,  listless  and  purposeless. 


DESPERATE    ATTEMPTS    AT   GREAT   THINGS.  1 33 

From  this  lethargy  I  was  awakened  by  an  accidental  remark 
of  a  friend,  who  said  to  me  :  "  The  next  ten  years  will  be  the 
best  of  your  life  ;  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ?  "  A 
leading  question,  truly,  and  one  I  had  often  asked  myself  of 
late  without  finding  an  answer;  yet  the  way  of  putting  these 
few  simple  words  brought  them  home  to  me  in  a  manner 
I  had  never  before  felt.  I  was  standing  by,  waiting  to  see 
whether  I  might  proceed  with  my  literary  undertaking,  or 
whether  I  should  have  to  go  to  work  for  my  bread. 

What  was  I  to  do  ?  I  did  not  know  ;  but  I  would  do  some- 
thing, and  that  at  once.  I  would  mark  out  a  path  and  follow 
it,  and  if  in  the  mean  time  I  should  be  overwhelmed,  let  it  be 
so ;  I  would  waste  no  more  time  waiting.  Once  more  I  rubbed 
my  lamp  and  asked  the  genius  what  to  do.  In  due  time  the 
answer  came ;  the  v/ay  was  made  clear,  yet  not  all  at  once ; 
still,  from  that  time  I  was  at  less  loss  as  to  what  next  I  should 
do,  and  how  I  should  proceed  to  do  it.  From  that  day  to  this 
I  have  known  less  wavering,  less  hesitation.  I  Avould  strike 
at  once  for  the  highest,  brightest  mark  before  me.  I  would 
make  an  effort,  whatever  the  result,  which  should  be  enno- 
bling, in  which  even  failure  should  be  infinitely  better  than 
listless  inaction.  Exactly  what  I  would  undertake  I  could 
not  now  determine.  History- writing  I  conceived  to  be  among 
the  highest  of  human  occupations,  and  this  should  be  my 
choice,  were  my  ability  equal  to  my  ambition.  There  was 
enough  with  which  to  wrestle,  under  these  new  conditions,  to 
strengthen  nerve  and  sharpen  skill. 

Thus  roused  I  vv^ent  back  to  California.  I  entered  the 
library.  Oak  was  faithfully  at  work  cutting  up  dupUcate  cop- 
ies of  books  and  distributing  the  parts  upon  the  previous 
plan,  thus  adding  to  the  numerous  scraps  hitherto  collected 
and  arranged.  It  was  a  sorrowful  attempt  at  great  things; 
nevertheless  it  was  an  attempt.  To  this  day  the  fruits  of 
many  such  plantings  in  connection  with  these  Literary 
Industries  remain  unplucked.  Yet,  if  never  permitted  by 
my  destiny  to  accomplish  great  things,  I  could  at  least  die 
attempting  them. 


CHAPTER   X. 

A    LITERARY    WORKSHOP. 


We  were  the  first  that  ever  burst 
Into  that  silent  sea. — Coleridt^e. 


IT  was  the  20th  of  August,  187 1,  that  I  returned  from  my 
eastern  trip,  being  summoned  to  the  support  of  a  greatly 
imperiled  business.  My  friends  had  become  fearful  for  the 
safety  of  the  firm,  and  had  telegraphed  me  to  return.  Wicked 
reports  of  things  undreained  of  by  ourselves  had  been  so  long 
and  so  persistently  circulated  by  certain  of  our  competitors, 
who  feared  and  hated  us,  that  the  confidence  of  even  those 
slow  to  believe  ill  of  us  began  to  be  shaken. 

The  fact  of  my  changing  the  name  of  the  firm,  the  reason 
for  which  I  had  some  delicacy  about  loudly  proclaiming, 
was  perverted  by  our  enemies  into  a  fear  as  to  the  ultimate 
success  of  the  business,  and  a  determination  on  my  part  in 
case  of  failure  not  to  be  brought  down  with  it.  And  this, 
notwithstanding  they  knew,  or  might  have  known,  that  I 
never  shirked  any  part  of  the  responsibility  connected  with 
the  change  of  name,  and  that  every  dollar  I  had  was  pledged 
for  the  support  of  the  business.  To  their  great  disappoint- 
ment we  did  not  succumb ;  we  did  not  ask  for  an  extension, 
or  for  any  favors  from  any  one.  Nevertheless  my  friends 
desired  me  to  return,  and  I  came. 

But  I  was  in  a  bad  humor  for  business.  I  never  thought 
it  possible  so  to  hate  it,  and  all  the  belitdings  and  soul- 
crushings  connected  with  it.  Iwcn  the  faint  glimpse  of  the 
Above  and  Beyond  in  my  fancies  had  been  sufficient  to  spoil 
me  for  future  money  grubbings.  "  Only  those  who  know  the 
supremacy  of  the  intellectual  life,"  says  George  Eliot,  "  the 


A   LITERARY   WORKSHOP.  135 

life  which  has  a  seed  of  cnnobhng  thought  and  purpose  within 
it,  can  understand  the  grief  of  one  who  falls  from  that  serene 
activity  into  the  absorbing  soul-wasting  struggle  with  worldly 
annoyances."  Had  I  been  alone,  with  only  myself  to  suffer, 
and  had  not  even  my  literary  aspirations  been  dependent  on 
the  success  of  the  shop,  I  should  have  turned  my  back  on  it 
forever  to  let  it  sink  or  swim,  as  it  would  or  might. 

This,  however,  was  not  to  be.  My  duty  was  too  plain 
before  me.  The  business  must  have  my  attention ;  it  must 
have  more  money,  and  this  I  must  provide.  Into  the  breach 
I  threw  myself,  and  stood  there  as  well  as  I  was  able,  though 
at  such  a  cost  of  feeling  as  no  one  ever  knew,  and  as  few 
could  ever  appreciate.  Having  done  this,  all  that  I  could 
do,  and  in  fact  all  that  was  necessary  to  save  the  business,  I 
mentally  consigned  tiie  whole  establishment  to  oblivion,  and 
directed  my  attention  once  more,  and  this  time  in  desperate 
earnest,  to  literary  interests. 

At  the  very  threshold  of  my  resolve,  however,  stared  me 
in  the  face  the  old  inquiry.  What  shall  I  do,  and  how  shall  I 
do  it  ?  One  thing  was  plain,  even  to  a  mind  as  unskilled  in 
the  mysteries  of  book-making  as  mine.  On  my  shelves  were 
tons  of  unwinnowed  material  for  histories  unAvritten  and 
sciences  undeveloped.  In  the  present  shape  it  was  of  little 
use  to  me  or  to  the  world.  Facts  were  too  scattered ;  in- 
deed, mingled  and  hidden  as  they  were  in  huge  masses  of 
debris,  the  more  one  had  of  them  the  worse.  A  little  truth 
in  such  a  form  as  one  could  use,  a  quantity  such  as  one  could 
grasp,  was  better  than  uncontrollable  heaps.  Much  knowl- 
edge out  of  order  is  little  learning;  confusion  follows  the 
accumulation  in  excess  of  ungeneralized  data. 

To  find  a  way  to  the  gold  of  this  amalgam,  to  mark  out  a 
path  through  a  wilderness  of  knowledge  to  the  desired  facts, 
was  the  first  thing  to  be  done.  He  who  would  write  at  the 
greatest  advantage  on  any  practical  subject  must  have  before 
him  all  that  has  been  written  by  others,  all  knowledge  ex- 
tant on  that  subject.  To  have  that  knowledge  upon  his 
shelves,  and  yet  be  unable  to  place  his  hand  upon  it,  is  no 


136  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

better  than  to  be  without  it.  If  I  v/ished  to  write  fully  on 
the  zoology,  for  example,  of  the  Pacific  slope,  nine  tenths  of 
all  the  books  in  my  library  containing  reference  to  the  ani- 
mals of  the  coast  might  as  well  be  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  as  in  my  possession  unless  I  was  prepared  to  spend 
fifteen  years  on  this  one  subject.  And  even  then  it  could  not 
be  thoroughly  done.  Fancy  an  author  with  thirty  or  fifty 
thousand  volumes  before  him,  sitting  down  to  read  or  look 
through  ten  thousand  of  them,  for  every  treatise  or  article  he 
wrote  !  De  Quincey  gives  a  close  reader  from  five  to  eight 
thousand  volumes  to  master  between  the  ages  of  twenty 
and  eighty;  hence  a  man  beginning  at  thirty-seven  with 
twenty  thousand  volumes,  soon  increased  to  forty  thousand, 
could  scarcely  hope  in  his  lifetime  even  to  glance  through 
them  all. 

This  was  the  situation.  And  before  authorship  could 
begin  a  magic  wand  must  be  waved  over  the  assembled 
products  of  ten  thousand  minds,  which  would  severalize  what 
each  had  said  on  all  important  topics  and  reduce  the  other- 
wise rebellious  mass  to  form  and  system.  This,  after  the 
collection  of  the  material,  was  the  first  step  in  the  new 
chemistry  of  literary  reduction.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  the 
application  of  science,  facts  must  be  first  collected,  then 
classified,  after  which  laws  and  general  knowledge  may  be 
arrived  at. 

How  was  this  to  be  accomplished  ?  It  is  at  the  initial  pe- 
riod of  an  undertaking  that  the  chief  difficulty  arises.  I  had 
no  guide,  no  precedent  by  which  to  formulate  my  operations. 
I  might  write  after  the  ordinary  m.ethod  of  authors,  but  in 
this  field  comparatively  little  could  come  of  it.  To  my  knowl- 
edge, authorship  of  the  quality  to  which  I  aspired  had  never 
before  been  attempted  by  a  private  individual.  A  mass  of 
material  like  mine  had  never  before  been  collected,  collocated, 
eviscerated,  and  re-created  by  one  man,  unassisted  by  any 
society  or  government.  The  great  trouble  was  to  get  at  and 
abstract  the  information.  Toward  the  accomplishment  of 
this  my  first  efforts  were  crude,  as  may  well  be  imagined.     I 


A    LITERARY    WORKSHOP.  137 

attempted  to  read  or  cursorily  examine  such  volumes  as  were 
likely  to  contain  information  on  the  subjects  to  be  written, 
and  to  mark  the  passages  to  be  extracted.  A  system  of  fig- ' 
ures  was  adopted,  one  of  which,  pencilled  on  the  margin  of 
the  page,  denoted  the  subject-heading  under  which  the  ex- 
tracted page  or  paragraph  should  appear.  These  passages 
were  then  copied.  Of  course  it  would  have  been  easier  to 
purchase  two  copies  of  every  important  book,  and  to  have 
cut  them  up,  as  in  fact  was  done  in  many  instances ;  but 
much  of  the  collection  could  not  be  dupHcated  at  any 
cost,  and  to  destroy  a  book  or  even  a  newspaper  of  which  I 
could  not  buy  another  copy  was  not  for  a  moment  to  be 
thought  of. 

But  what  was  one  man,  one  reader,  among  so  many  thou- 
sand authors !  After  going  over  a  dozen  volumes  or  so  in 
this  manner,  and  estimating  the  time  required  for  reading  and 
marking  all  the  books  of  the  library,  I  found  that  by  constant 
application,  eight  hours  a  day,  it  would  take  four  hundred 
years  to  get  through  them,  and  that  in  a  superficial  way. 
Altogether  I  concluded  that  other  men  must  also  be  set  to 
reading,  and  others  again  to  copying  literatim  all  informa- 
tion likely  to  be  required  in  the  study  of  any  subject.  Thus 
these  literary  industries  began  gradually  to  assume  broader 
proportions,  and  so  they  continued  till  December  of  this 
same  year. 

On  trial,  however,  the  plan  proved  a  failure.  The  copied 
material  relating  to  the  same  or  kindred  topics  could  indeed 
be  brought  together,  but  on  beginning  to  write  I  found  the 
extracts  unsatisfying,  and  felt  the  necessity  of  the  book  itself. 
The  copyist  might  have  made  a  mistake;  and  to  appraise  the 
passage  at  its  full  value  I  must  see  the  connection.  Any  ex- 
perienced author  could  have  told  me  this;  but  there  was  no 
experienced  author  at  hand. 

After  some  twenty-five  reams  of  legal  cap  paper  had  thus 
been  covered  on  one  side,  to  consign  the  labors  of  these  six 
or  eight  men  for  these  several  months  to  the  waste  heap  was 
but  the  work  of  a  moment.     There  was  too  much  involved, 


138  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

the  enterprise  was  projected  on  too  large  a  scale,  to  admit 
of  a  wrong  beginning;  and  prepared  as  I  was  to  stake  past, 
present,  and  future  on  this  literary  adventure,  it  appeared 
folly  to  continue  a  path  shown  to  be  wrong.  La  Fontaine's 
idea  was  not  a  bad  one :  "  Le  trop  d'expediens  pent  gater 
une  affaire :  on  perd  du  temps  au  choix,  on  tente ;  on  veut 
tout  faire.     N'en  ayons  qu'un;  mais  qu'il  soit  bon." 

Meanwhile,  after  frequent  and  protracted  discussions,  I 
determined  to  have  the  whole  library  indexed  as  one  would 
index  a  single  book.  This  surely  would  bring  before  me  all 
that  every  author  had  said  on  any  subject  about  which  I 
should  choose  to  write.  This,  too,  would  give  me  the  authors 
themselves,  and  embody  most  of  the  advantages  of  the  former 
scheme  without  its  faults.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan  Oak 
took  up  the  voyage  collections  of  Hakluyt  and  Navarrete, 
while  less  important  works  were  distributed  to  such  of  the 
former  readers  and  copyists  as  were  deemed  competent.  For 
example,  one  Gordon  made  an  index  of  California  legislative 
documents.  Albert  Goldschmidt's  first  work  was  to  make  an 
index,  on  a  somewhat  more  general  plan  than  that  of  Navar- 
rete, of  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  and  other  magazines  and  reviews. 
He  afterward  catalogued  a  large  quantity  of  Mexican  books. 
To  Cresswell,  since  in  the  Nevada  senate,  Pointdexter,  and 
others,  was  given  similar  work. 

Among  other  parts  of  the  outlined  encyclopsedia  was  a 
collection  of  voyages  and  travels  to  and  throughout  the  Pa- 
cific States.  As  the  more  comprehensive  programme  was 
gradually  set  aside,  my  attention  became  more  and  more 
concentrated  on  these  several  parts.  True,  history  was  ever 
the  prominent  idea  in  my  mind,  but,  audacious  as  was  my 
ambition,  I  had  not  the  presumption  to  rush  headlong  into 
it  during  the  incipient  stages  of  my  work.  At  the  beginning 
of  my  literary  pilgrimage,  I  did  httle  but  flounder  in  a  slough 
of  despond.  Until  my  feet  touched  more  solid  ground,  I  did 
not  dare  essay  that  which  appeared  to  me  no  less  difficult 
than  grand. 


A   LITERARY   WORKSHOP.  1 39 

A  collection  of  voyages  and  travels  such  as  I  projected 
offered  many  attractions  as  an  initial  step  in  my  literary  under- 
takings. Incident  and  instruction  were  therein  so  combined 
as  under  skillful  handling  to  awaken  and  retain  the  liveliest 
interest.  Here  was  less  risk  of  failure  than  in  more  ambitious 
attempts ;  I  alone  possessed  the  material,  and  surely  I  could 
serve  it  in  a  style  not  wholly  devoid  of  attractions.  If  this 
were  not  within  the  scope  of  my  accomplishment  nothing 
Avas.  So,  during  the  first  half  of  1872,  in  conjunction  with 
the  indexing,  under  a  devised  system  of  condensation,  several 
persons  were  employed  in  extracting  Pacific  coast  voyages 
and  travels.  Walter  M.  Fisher  wrote  out  the  travels  of 
Bryant,  Bayard  Taylor,  Humboldt,  and  others.  This  work 
altogether  lasted  about  a  year,  and  resulted  in  —  nothing. 

Long  before  this  I  had  discovered  the  plan  of  the  index 
then  in  progress  to  be  impracticable.  It  was  too  exact ;  it 
was  on  too  minute  a  scale.  Besides  absorbing  an  enormous 
amount  of  time  and  money  in  its  making,  when  completed  it 
would  be  so  voluminous  and  extended  as  to  be  cumbersome, 
and  too  unwieldy  for  the  purjDOse  designed. 

Others  realized  this  more  fully  than  myself,  and  from  them 
came  many  suggestions  in  perfecting  the  present  and  more 
practical  system.  This  is  a  modification  and  simplification 
of  the  former,  a  reduction  to  practice  of  what  before  was 
only  theory.  Three  months  were  occupied  in  planning  and 
testing  this  new  system.  When  we  became  satisfied  with  the 
results,  we  began  indexing  and  teaching  the  art  to  the  men. 
As  the  work  progressed  and  the  plan  inspired  confidence, 
more  indexers  were  employed.  Hundreds  were  instructed, 
and  the  efficient  ones  retained.  Mr.  William  Nemos  came 
in,  and  as  he  quickly  mastered  the  system  and  displayed 
marked  abiUty  in  various  directions,  the  indexing  and  the 
indexers  were  placed  under  his  supervision. 

The  system  as  perfected  and  ever  since  in  successful  and 
daily  operation,  I  will  now  describe : 

Forty  or  fifty  leading  subjects  were  selected,  such  as 
Agriculture,   Antiquities,    Botany,    Biography,    Commerce, 


140  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

I  Drama,  Education,  Fisheries,  Geology,  History,  Indians, 
Mining,  etc.,  which  would  embrace  all  real  knowledge,  and 
cover  the  contents  of  the  whole  collection,  except  such  parts 
as  were  irrelevant.  For  example,  a  writer's  ideas  of  religion 
were  considered  of  no  value,  as  was  anything  he  saw  or  did 
outside  of  our  Pacific  States  territory ;  or  his  personal  affairs, 
unless  of  so  striking  a  character  as  to  command  general 
interest.  These  forty  or  fifty  subjects  formed  the  basis  of 
the  index,  while  excluding  tons  of  trash,  with  which  every 

'  author  seems  bound  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  to  dilute  his 

■  writings. 

Now  as  to  the  collection  of  minor  subjects  or  sub-topics 
under  the  general  headings,  so  as  to  permit  a  ready  use  of 
the  material  with  the  least  possible  friction.  The  device  is  at 
once  ingenious,  simple,  and  effectual.  The  lists  of  subjects 
were  so  chosen  that  each  might  be  made  to  embrace  a  variety 
of  subdivisions.  Thus  under  the  head  Agriculture  are  in- 
cluded stock  raising,  soils,  fruits,  and  all  other  products  of 
farm  cultivation.  Under  Antiquities  are  included  ruins,  relics, 
hieroglyphics,  and  all  implements  and  other  works  of  native 
Americans  before  the  coming  of  the  Europea,ns;  also  ancient 
history,  traditions,  migrations,  manners  and  customs  before 
the  conquest,  and  speculations,  native  and  European,  con- 
cerning the  origin  of  the  Americans.  The  same  system  was 
observed  with  Architecture,  Art,  Bibliography,  Biography, 
Ethnology,  Jurisprudence,  Languages,  Manufactures,  Medi- 
cine, Meteorology,  Mythology,  and  all  the  other  chief 
subject-headings,  including  states  and  localities.  A  list  of 
abbreviations  was  then  made,  and  the  plan  was  ready  for 
application. 

The  operation  of  indexing  was  as  follows  :  A  list  of  sub- 
jects, with  their  subdivisions  and  abbreviations,  was  placed 
before  an  assistant,  who  proceeded  to  read  the  book,  also 
given  him,  indexing  its  contents  upon  cards  of  heavy  writing 
paper  three  by  five  inches  in  size.  When  he  came  to  a  fact 
bearing  on  any  of  the  subjects  in  the  list  he  wrote  it  on  a 
card,  each  assistant  following  the  same  form,  so  as  to  produce 


A    LITERARY    WORKSHOP.  141 

uniform  results.     For  example,  the  top  line  of  all  the  cards 
was  written  on  tliis  pattern  : 

Agric.  Cal.,  Silk  Culture,  1867. 

Antiq.  Chiapas,    Palenque. 

Biog.  Cortes  (H.) 

Hist.  Mexico.     15 19. 

Ind.  Nev.     Shoshones  (Dwellings). 

Ogn.  Portland.     1870. 

The  second  line  of  each  card  gave  the  title  of  the  book, 
with  the  volume  and  page  where  the  information  was  to  be 
found ;  and,  finally,  a  few  words  were  given  denoting  the 
character  of  the  information.  Herewith  I  give  a  specimen 
card  complete : 


Ind.     Tehuan.     Zapotecs.     1847. 

Macgregor,  J.     Progress  of  America.     London,  1847. 
Vol.  I.,  pp.  848-9. 

Location,  Character,  Dress,  Manufactures. 


Here  we  have  a  concise  index  to  a  particular  fact  or  piece 
of  information.  It  happens  to  relate  to  the  aborigines,  and 
so  falls  under  the  general  heading  Indians.  It  has  reference 
especially  to  the  natives  of  Tehuantepec.  It  is  supposed  to 
describe  them  as  they  were  in  the  year  1847.  It  concerns 
the  Zapotec  tribe  particularly.  It  has  to  do  with  their  loca- 
tion, character,  dress,  and  manufactures,  and  it  is  to  be  found 
on  pages  848  and  849  of  the  first  volume  of  a  book  entitled 
Progress  of  America,  written  by  J.  Macgregor,  and  published 
in  London  in  1847.  Of  course,  when  the  cards  are  put 
away  in  their  case  all  the  cards  on  Indians  are  brought  to- 
gether. Of  the  Indian  cards  all  those  relating  to  Tehuante- 
pec are  brought  together.  Of  the  Tehuantepec  natives  all 
in  the  library  that  relate  to  the  Zapotec  tribe  will  be  found 
together ;  and  so  on. 


142  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Thus  the  writer  is  directed  at  once  to  all  the  sources  of 
information  concerning  his  subject,  and  the  orderly  treating 
of  innumerable  topics,  otherwise  impossible,  becomes  easily 
practicable.  If,  for  example,  a  person  wishes  to  study  or 
write  upon  the  manners  and  customs  of  all  the  aborigines  in- 
habiting the  territory  covered  by  the  library,  he  takes  all  the 
cards  of  the  index  bearing  the  general  heading  Indians,  and 
is  by  them  directed  immediately  to  all  the  sources  of  infor- 
mation, which  else  would  take  him  ten  years  at  least  to  col- 
lect. If  information  is  desired  of  Tehuantepec,  take  the 
Tehuantepec  cards ;  or  if  of  the  Zapotec  tribe  only,  the  Zapo- 
tec  cards.  So  it  is  with  any  subject  relating  to  mining,  his- 
tory, society,  or  other  category  within  the  range  of  knowledge. 

Thus  book  by  book  of  the  authorities  collected  was 
passed  through  the  hands  of  skilled  assistants,  and  with 
checks  and  counter-checks  an  immense  and  comprehensive 
system  of  indexing  was  applied  to  each  volume.  Physical, 
moral,  geographical,  historical,  from  the  fibre  of  an  Eskimo's 
hair  to  the  coup  de  maitre  of  Cortes,  nothing  was  too  insig- 
nificant or  too  great  to  find  its  place  there.  With  the  index 
cards  before  him,  the  student  or  writer  may  turn  at  once  to 
the  volume  and  page  desired ;  indeed,  so  simple  and  yet  so 
effectual  are  the  workings  of  the  system  that  a  man  may  seat 
himself  at  a  bare  table  and  say  to  a  boy,  Bring  me  all  that  is 
known  about  the  conquest  of  Darien,  the  mines  of  Nevada, 
the  missions  of  Lower  California,  the  agriculture  of  Oregon, 
the  lumber  interests  of  Washington,  the;  state  of  Sonora,  the 
town  of  Queretaro,  or  any  other  information  extant,  or  any 
description  regarding  any  described  portion  of  the  western 
half  of  North  America,  and  straightway,  as  at  the  call  of  a 
magician,  such  knowledge  is  spread  before  him,  with  the 
volumes  opened  at  the  page.  Aladdin's  lamp  could  pro- 
duce no  such  results.  That  commanded  material  wealth,  but 
here  is  a  sorcery  that  conjures  up  the  wealth  of  mind  and 
places  it  at  the  disposition  of  the  seer. 

Hundreds  of  years  of  profitless,  uninteresting  labor  may  be 
saved  by  this  simple  device ;  and  a  prominent  feature  of  it 


A    LITERARY    WORKSHOP.  143 

is  that  the  index  is  equally  valuable  in  connection  with  any- 
other  library  where  copies  of  my  material  may  exist.  The 
cost  of  this  index  was  about  thirty-five  thousand  dollars,  but 
its  value  is  not  to  be  measured  by  money. 

After  the  explanation  given,  one  would  think  it  easy  to 
find  men  who  could  make  this  index.  But  it  was  not  so. 
Never  was  there  man  or  woman  who  looked  at  it  but  in- 
stantly knew  or  thought  they  knew  all  about  it ;  yet  nineteen 
out  of  twenty  who  attempted  it  failed.  The  difficulty  was 
this :  to  be  of  value,  the  work  must  all  be  done  on  a  uniform 
plan.  If  one  competent  person  could  have  done  the  whole, 
the  index  would  be  all  the  better.  But  one  person  could  not 
do  all ;  from  five  to  twenty  men  were  constantly  employed 
upon  it  for  years.  Many  of  the  books  were  indexed  two  or 
three  times,  owing  to  the  incompetency  of  those  who  first 
undertook  the  task. 

It  was  extremely  difticult  to  make  the  indexers  comprehend 
what  to  note  and  what  not.  Rules  for  general  guidance 
could  be  laid  down,  yet  in  every  instance  something  must  be 
left  to  the  discretion  of  the  individual.  All  must  work  to  a 
given  plan,  yet  all  must  use  judgment.  In  attempting  this, 
one  would  adhere  so  rigidly  to  rule  as  to  put  down  a  subject- 
heading  whenever  a  mere  word  was  encountered,  even  though 
unaccompanied  by  any  information.  If,  for  example,  the 
sentence  occurred,  "  The  machinery  of  government  had  not 
yet  been  set  in  motion  along  the  Sierra  foothills,"  such  an  in- 
dexer  would  make  a  card  under  Machinery,  to  the  infinite 
disgust  of  the  investigator  of  rhechanical  affairs.  At  the 
same  time,  most  important  facts  might  be  omitted,  simply 
because  they  were  not  expressed  in  words  which  broadly 
pointed  to  a  subject  on  the  list.  Then,  too,  there  was  much 
difference  between  men  in  aptness,  some  finding  it  neces- 
sary to  plod  through  every  line  before  grasping  the  pith 
of  the  matter,  while  others  acquired  such  expertness  that 
they  could  tell  by  merely  glancing  down  a  page  whether 
it  contained  any  useful  information.  But  by  constant  ac- 
cessions  and   eliminations   a   sufficient   number  of  compe- 


144  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

tent  persons  was  found  to  cany  the  work  forward  to 
completion. 

When  a  volume  was  finished  the  indexer  would  hand  it 
with  his  cards  to  Mr.  Oak  or  Mr.  Nemos,  who  glanced  over 
the  work,  testing  it  here  and  there  to  see  that  it  was  properly 
done,  and  then  gave  out  another  book.  Finally  the  cards 
were  all  classified  under  their  distinguishing  title,  and  placed 
in  alphabetical  order  in  upright  cupboard-hke  cases  made  for 
the  purpose.  The  cases  are  each  about  five  feet  in  height, 
four  feet  in  width,  and  less  than  six  inches  in  thickness,  with 
board  partitions,  and  tin  shelves  slanting  inward  to  hold  the 
cards  in  place.  The  partitions  are  the  length  of  the  card 
apart,  and  the  depth  of  the  case  is  equal  to  the  width  of  the 
card.  In  other  words,  the  receptacles  were  made  to  fit  the 
cards. 

In  special  work  of  great  magnitude,  such  as  exhaustive 
history,  it  is  necessary  to  invest  the  system  of  indexing  with 
greater  detail,  more  as  it  was  first  established,  making  innu- 
merable special  references,  so  that  when  done  and  arranged 
according  to  subject  and  date,  all  that  has  been  said  by  every 
author  on  every  point  is  brought  together  in  the  form  of 
notes.     I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  this  subject  again. 

Such  was  the  machinery  which  we  found  necessary  to  con- 
trive in  order  to  extract  the  desired  material  from  the  cumber- 
some mass  before  us.  And  by  this  or  other  similar  means 
alone  can  the  contents  of  any  large  library  be  utilized ;  and 
the  larger  the  collection  the  more  necessity  for  such  an  index. 
A  universal  index,  applicable  to  any  library,  or  to  the  books 
of  the  world  collectively,  might  be  made  with  incalculable 
advantage  to  civilization ;  but  the  task  would  be  herculean, 
involving  the  reading  of  all  the  books  and  manuscripts  in 
existence.  Such  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  a  student  may 
be  likened  to  the  dart  given  by  Abaris,  the  Hyperborean 
priest,  to  Pythagoras,  which  carried  the  possessor  over  rivers 
and  mountains  whithersoever  he  listed.  This  will  probably 
never  be  done,  although  theoretically  the  plan  is  not  so  pre- 
posterous as  might  at  first  glance  appear.     No  individual 


A   LITERARY    WORKSHOP.  145 

possessed  of  reason  would  undertake  it  as  a  private  scheme ; 
necessarily  it  must  be  a  national,  or  rather  an  international, 
work;  and  the  number  of  persons  of  different  climes  and 
tongues  to  be  employed  would  probably  prove  fatal  to  it. 
Yet  I  believe  the  time  will  come  when  all  the  chief  libraries  of 
the  world  will  have  their  indexes.  Surely  in  no  other  way 
can  scholars  command  the  knowledge  contained  in  books; 
and  as  books  multiply,  the  necessity  increases. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MY   FIRST    BOOK. 

Two  strong  angels  stand  by  the  side  of  History  as  heraldic  support- 
ers :  the  angel  of  research  on  the  left  hand,  that  must  read  millions  of 
dusty  parchments,  and  of  pages  blotted  with  lies ;  the  angel  of  medita- 
tation  on  the  right  hand,  that  must  cleanse  these  lying  records  with  fire, 
even  as  of  old  the  draperies  of  asbestos  were  cleansed,  and  must  quicken 
them  into  regenerated  life. —  De  Quhicey. 

HOW  many  of  the  works  of  authors  may  be  attributed 
purely  to  accident !  Had  not  Shakespeare  been  a  play- 
actor we  might  have  had  no  Shakespeare's  plays.  Had  not 
Bunyan  been  imprisoned  and  Milton  blind  we  might  look  in 
vain  for  the  Pilgrim'' s  Progress  and  Paradise  Lost.  Robert 
Pearse  Gillies  says  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  "  I  have  always  been 
persuaded  that  had  he  not  chanced,  and  in  those  days  it  was 
a  rare  chance,  to  get  some  German  lessons  from  a  competent 
professor,  and  had  he  not  also  chanced  to  have  Leitora  and 
The  Wild  HiintsmaJi  played  before  him  as  exercises,  we 
should  never  have  had  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel  or  The 
Lady  of  the  Lake."  More  than  any  other  one  effort,  Thack- 
eray's writing  for  Punch  taught  him  wherein  his  strength  lay. 
The  great  satirist  at  the  beginning  of  his  literary  career  was 
not  successful,  and  it  is  a  question  whether  he  ever  would 
have  been  but  for  a  certain  train  of  circumstances  which 
crowded  application  upon  his  genius.  Apelles,  unable  to 
delineate  to  his  satisfaction  the  foam  of  Alexander's  horse, 
dashed  his  brush  against  the  canvas  in  angry  despair,  when 
lo!  upon  the  picture,  effected  thus  by  accident,  appeared 
what  had  baffled  his  most  cunning  skill.  Turning-points  in 
life  are  not  always  mere  accident.     Often  they  arc  the  result 

146 


MY    FIRST   BOOK.  147 

of  teachings  or  inborn  aspirations,  and  always  they  are  fraught 
with  some  moral  lesson  of  special  significance. 

Although  my  Nalive  Races  cannot  be  called  a  chance  crea- 
tion, its  publication  as  my  first  work  was  purely  accident. 
Following  my  general  plan,  which  was  a  series  of  works  on 
the  western  half  of  North  America,  I  must  of  necessity  treat 
of  the  aborigines  at  some  time.  But  now,  as  ever,  I  was  in- 
tent only  on  history,  whose  fascinations  increased  with  my 
ever-increasing  appreciation  of  its  importance.  All  our  learn- 
ing we  derive  from  the  past.  To-day  is  the  pupil  of  yester- 
day, this  year  of  last  year;  drop  by  drop  the  activities  of 
each  successive  hour  are  distilled  from  the  experiences  of  the 
centuries. 

And  the  moment  was  so  opportune.  Time  enough  had 
elapsed  for  these  western  shores  to  have  a  history,  yet  not 
enough,  since  civilization  lighted  here,  for  any  considerable 
part  of  that  history  to  be  lost.  Then,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
from  the  depths  of  despair  I  would  sometimes  rise  to  the  firm 
conviction  that  with  my  facilities  and  determined  purpose  I 
could  not  only  do  this  work,  but  that  I  could  save  to  these 
Pacific  States  more  of  their  early  incidents  than  had  been  pre- 
served to  other  nations;  that  I  could  place  on  record  annals 
exceptionally  complete  and  truthful ;  that  I  could  write  a  his- 
tory which  as  a  piece  of  thorough  work,  if  unaccompanied 
by  any  other  good  quality,  would  command  a  place  among 
the  histories  of  the  world. 

Nor  was  the  idea  necessarily  the  offspring  of  egotism.  I 
do  not  say  that  I  regarded  this  country  as  the  greatest  whose 
history  had  ever  been  written,  or  myself  as  an  able  historian. 
Far,  very  far  from  it.  There  were  here  no  grand  evolutions 
or  revolutions  of  mankind,  no  mighty  battles  affecting  the 
world's  political  balance,  no  ten  centuries  of  darkness  and 
stationary  torpidity,  no  pageantry  of  kings,  or  diplomacy  of 
statesmen,  or  craft  of  priestly  magnates  Avith  which  to  embel- 
lish my  pages  and  stir  to  glowing  admiration  the  interest  of 
my  readers.  The  incidents  of  history  here  were  in  a  meas- 
ure tame,  and  for  that  reason  all  the  more  difficult  of  dra- 


I40  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

matic  presentation.  The  wars  of  conquest  were  mostly  with 
savages,  or  with  nations  palsied  by  superstition;  and  since 
the  conquest  no  such  spasms  of  progress  have  been  made 
as  to  command  the  world's  attention  or  admiration  for  any 
length  of  time.  Not  that  fighting  is  the  fittest  subject  for 
record,  or  that  without  social  convulsions  the  nation  has  no 
history.  The  time  has  come  when  war  should  be  deemed 
the  deepest  disgrace,  a  brutal  method  of  settling  differences, 
and  the  evolution  of  arts,  industries,  and  intellect  the  fairest 
flowers  of  progress.  That  which  is  constant  is  history,  that 
which  is  elevating  and  ennobling,  no  less  than  debasing  war 
and  social  disruptions.  The  philosophic  or  didactic  writer 
of  the  present  day  is  of  opinion  that  to  form  correct  concep- 
tions of  a  people  one  should  know  something  of  the  state  of 
the  society  and  institutions  that  evolved  them.  The  devel- 
opment of  a  nation's  institutions,  their  structure  and  func- 
tions, are  of  no  less  importance  than  a  narrative  of  a  nation's 
fortunes  in  other  respects,  or  the  sayings  and  doings  of  its 
great  men.  Yet,  if  ever  fancy  whispered  I  could  write  well, 
I  had  but  to  read  a  page  of  Shakespeare,  whose  pencil  was 
dipped  in  colors  of  no  earthly  extraction,  and  Avhose  every 
finished  sentence  is  a  string  of  pearls,  and  the  fountains  of 
my  ambition  would  dwindle  to  insignificance.  What  were 
my  miserable  efforts  beside  the  conceptions  of  a  Dante,  the 
touch  of  a  Dor6,  the  brilliant  imagery  of  a  St.  John !  How 
powerful  are  words  to  him  who  can  handle  them,  and  yet 
how  insignificant  in  tlie  hands  of  weaklings  to  describe  these 
subtile  shades  of  human  qualities!  What  are  the  many  thou- 
sand different  words,  made  by  the  various  combinations  of 
the  twenty-six  letters  of  the  alphabet,  and  of  which  many 
more  might  be  made,  since  the  i:)Ossible  combination  of  these 
words  into  others  and  into  sentences  is  practically  infinite  — 
what  are  all  these  word-fitting  possibilities  in  the  hands  of  a 
bungler,  or  of  one  who  lacks  the  ideas  to  call  them  forth 
and  array  them  ?  And  yet,  were  the  scope  of  human  lan- 
guage a  thousand  times  more  varied,  and  should  there  arise 
one  capable  of  wielding  this  enlarged  vocabulary,  the  varied 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  I49 

thought  and  feehng  incident  to  humanity  would  still  be  but 
inadequately  expressed. 

Not  only  the  thoughts  of  a  great  poet  but  the  language  in 
which  his  thoughts  are  clothed  displays  his  genius.  Under- 
take to  express  his  ideas  in  words  of  your  own,  and  you  will 
find  its  essence  evaporated.  Coleridge  says  you  "  might  as 
well  think  of  pushing  a  brick  out  of  the  wall  with  your  fore- 
finger as  attempt  to  remove  a  word  out  of  any  of  the  finished 
passages  of  Shakespeare."  Become  possessed  with  an  idea, 
and  you  will  then  find  language  according  to  your  ability  to 
express  it;  it  is  poverty  of  ideas  that  makes  men  complain 
of  the  poverty  of  language.  In  the  writings  of  Shakespeare 
imagination  and  experience,  wisdom,  wit,  and  charity,  com- 
mingle and  play  upon  and  into  each  other  until  simple  words 
glow  like  fire  illuminated  by  supernatural  significance. 

And  as  thought  becomes  elevated,  the  simpler  and  plainer 
becomes  expression.  The  seed  of  eloquence  lies  in  the  con- 
ception of  the  thought,  and  the  simplicity  with  which  it  is  ex- 
pressed gives  the  sublime  soul-stirring  power.  It  is  significant 
that  the  books  which  have  held  their  highest  place  in  literature 
for  centuries  have  been  written  iathe  purest  and  simplest  Saxon. 
The  English  language  as  used  by  Shakespeare  and  Milton 
shows  amazing  strength,  flexibility,  delicacy,  and  harmony. 

Thus  the  billows  of  despondency  passed  over  me,  and  at 
times  it  seemed  as  if  my  life  and  all  my  labors  were  empty 
air.  Overwhelmed  by  the  magnitude  of  my  task,  I  sat  for 
hours  and  brooded,  heart-sick  and  discouraged.  What 
profiteth  me  this  heavy  labor  ?  My  mind  is  vapid,  my  nerves 
unstrung;  I  have  not  the  strength,  physical  or  intellectual, 
for  a  work  of  such  magnitude.  I  may  succeed  or  I  may  fail. 
In  either  case  some  will  approve,  others  will  ridicule.  And 
what  is  approval  or  ridicule  to  me  ?  Even  if  success  comes, 
what  good  will  it  do  me?  I  must  toil  on,  denying  myself 
companionship;  I  must  deprive  myself  of  every  pleasure, 
even  of  the  blessed  air  and  sunshine,  the  sweetest  gifts  of 
nature,  and  which  are  freely  bestowed  upon  the  meanest  of 


150  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

created  things.  These  and  nine  tenths  of  the  joys  of  associ- 
ation and  recreation  I  must  yield  to  musty  books  and  dusty 
garret;  I  must  hug  this  heaviness,  and  all  because  of  an  idea. 
AH  the  powers  of  mind  and  body  must  be  made  captive 
to  this  one  purpose;  passion,  prejudice,  and  pleasure,  where 
they  interfere.  And  yet  must  the  worker  often  grope  in  vain 
for  the  power  of  mental  concentration,  while  progress  laughs 
mockingly.  For  such  work,  such  self-denial,  I  cannot  take 
my  i^ay  in  praise.  There  must  be  some  higher,  some  nobler 
aim.  Ah!  these  failures,  these  heart-sicknesses.  But  write! 
write!  write!  The  fiend  is  at  my  elbow  and  I  must  write. 
Maudlin  stuff  it  may  be,  but  I  must  write  it  down.  Death 
alone  can  deliver  me  from  these  toils,  can  open  a  current  for 
my  stagnant  thoughts  and  leaden  sensibilities.  Still  my 
prayer  shall  be,  Let  me  die  like  Plato,  at  my  table,  pen  in 
hand,  and  be  buried  among  the  scenes  of  my  labors. 

There  have  been  men,  and  many  of  them,  who  felt  that 
they  must  write,  and  yet  who  wrote  with  difficulty,  and  from 
no  desire  for  fame,  who  wrote  neither  from  a  pretended  anx- 
iety to  make  men  better,  nor  under  necessity.  Why,  then, 
did  they  write  ?  Perhaps  from  the  pressure  of  genius,  perhaps 
from  a  lack  of  common  sense.  No  person  knows  less  of  the 
stuft'  he  is  made  of  than  he  who  takes  pen  in  hand  and  has 
nothing  to  say. 

What  profiteth  it  me  ?  again  I  ask.  Money  ?  I  shall  die 
a  poor  man,  and  my  children  will  have  only  their  father's  folly 
for  an  inheritance.  Does  God  pay  for  such  endeavor  ?  I 
should  have  more  heart  did  I  but  feel  assured  of  some  com- 
pensation hereafter,  for  this  life  seems  almost  lost  to  me.  But 
even  such  assurance  is  denied  me.  Posthumous  fame  is  but 
a  phantom,  the  off-float  from  scarcely  more  solid  contempo- 
raneous opinion,  the  ghost  of  a  man's  deeds.  In  looking  over 
my  writings  I  sometimes  doubt  whom  I  serve  most,  Christ  or 
Belial,  or  whether  either  will  acknowledge  me  his  servant. 
And  yet  the  half  is  not  told,  for  if  it  Avere,  with  the  good  Cid 
Hamete  I  might  be  applauded  less  for  Avhat  I  have  written 
than  for  what  I  have  omitted  to  write. 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  151 

Before  my  cooler  judgment  my  self-imposed  task  presented 
itself  in  this  form :  Next  after  gathering  the  material  was  the 
power  of  handling  it.  From  being  slave  of  all  this  knowledge, 
I  must  become  master.  This  was  already  accomphshed  in 
part  by  means  of  the  index,  as  before  explained,  which  placed 
at  my  command  whatever  my  authors  had  said  on  any  subject. 
To  know  anything  perfectly,  one  must  know  many  things 
perfectly.  Then  surely  with  all  the  evidence  extant  on  any 
historical  point  or  incident  before  me  I  should  be  able  with 
sufficient  study  and  thought  to  determine  the  truth,  and  in 
plain  language  to  write  it  down.  My  object  seemed  to  be  the 
pride  and  satisfaction  it  would  aftbrd  me  to  improve  some- 
what the  records  of  my  race,  save  something  of  a  nation's 
history,  which  but  for  me  would  drop  into  oblivion  ;  to  catch 
from  the  mouths  of  living  witnesses,  just  ready  to  take  their 
final  departure,  important  facts  explaining  new  incidents  and 
strange  experiences ;  to  originate  and  perfect  a  system  by 
which  means  alone  this  history  could  be  gathered  and  written ; 
to  lay  the  comer-stone  of  this  fair  land's  literature  while  the 
land  was  yet  young  and  ambitious.  Hereupon  turns  all  pro- 
gress, all  human  advancement.  One  of  the  main  differences 
between  civilization  and  savagery  is  that  one  preserves  its  ex- 
periences as  they  accumulate  and  the  other  does  not.  Sav- 
agery ceases  to  be  savagery  and  becomes  civilization  the 
moment  the  savage  begins  a  record  of  events. 

Aline  was  a  great  work  that  could  be  performed  by  a  small 
man.  As  Beaumarchais  says :  "  Mediocre  et  rampant,  et 
Ton  arrive  a  tout."  Vigorous  and  persistent  effort  for  twenty 
or  thirty  years,  with  sufficient  self-abnegation,  a  liberal  out- 
lay of  money,  and  an  evenly  balanced  mind,  not  carried 
away  by  its  enthusiasm,  could  accomplish  more  at  this  time 
than  would  be  later  possible  under  any  circumstances.  And 
although  in  my  efforts,  like  the  eagle,  which  mistook  the  bald 
head  of  ^schylus  for  a  stone,  I  sometimes  endeavored  to  crack 
the  shell  of  my  tortoise  on  the  wrong  subject;  and  although 
much  of  the  time  the  work  was  apparently  stationary,  yet  in 
reality  like  a  glacier  it  was  slowly  furrowing  for  itself  a  path. 


152 


LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 


"  Good  aims  not  always  make  good  books,"  says  Mrs. 
Browning.  So  with  mind  well  tempered  and  ambition  held 
in  strict  control,  I  determined  to  work  and  wait.  Some  men 
live  in  their  endeavors.  Unless  they  have  before  them  intri- 
cate work  they  are  not  satisfied.  The  moment  one  difficult 
undertaking  is  accomplished  they  straightway  pine  for  an- 
other. Great  pleasure  is  felt  in  finishing  a  tedious  and  difficult 
piece  of  work,  but  long  before  one  was  done  by  me  I  had  a 
dozen  other  tedious  and  difficult  pieces  planned.  Early  in 
my  efforts  the  conquest  of  Mexico  attracted  my  attention. 
This  brilhant  episode  lay  directly  in  my  path  or  I  never 
should  have  had  the  audacity  to  grapple  with  it  after  the 
graceful  and  philosophic  pen  of  Prescott  had  traced  its  his- 
tory. This  story  of  the  conquest  possessed  me  with  a  thrilling 
interest;  and  before  me  lay  not  only  the  original  authorities, 
with  much  new  and  unused  collateral  information,  but  com- 
plete histories  of  that  epoch,  in  English,  Spanish,  French, 
Italian,  and  German — careful  histories  from  able  and  elo- 
quent pens.  These  might  be  the  guide  of  the  literary  fledg- 
ling. Ah  !  there  was  the  trouble.  Had  there  been  any  need 
for  such  a  work ;  had  the  work  not  been  done  better  than  I 
could  hope  to  do  it;  had  I  not  these  bright  examples  all 
before  me,  seemingly  in  derision  of  my  puny  efforts,  I  should 
have  been  better  able  to  abstract  the  facts  and  arrange  them 
in  readable  order. 

My  first  concern  Avas  the  manner  of  fitting  words  together ; 
the  facts  seemed  for  the  moment  of  secondary  consideration. 
To  array  in  brilliant  colors  empty  ideas  was  nearer  model 
history-writing  than  the  sharpest  philosophy  in  homely  garb. 
The  consequence  was,  this  mountain  of  my  ambition  after 
hard  labor  brought  forth  a  few  chapters  of  sententious  noth- 
ings, which  a  second  writing  seemed  only  to  confuse  yet 
more,  and  which  after  many  sighings  and  heart-sinkings  I 
tore  up,  and  cleared  my  table  of  authorities  on  the  grand 
conquest.  The  result  brought  to  my  mind  the  experience  of 
Kant,  Avho  for  the  second  edition  of  his  Critique  of  Pure 
Rcasoji  re-wrote  some  parts  of  it  in  order  to  give  them  greater 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  1 53 

perspicuity,  though  in  reahty  the  explanation  was  more 
enigmatical  than  what  had  been  first  written. 

Now,  I  said,  will  I  begin  at  the  beginning,  where  I  should 
have  begun.  The  Pacific  States  territory,  as  by  this  time  I 
had  it  marked,  extended  south  to  the  Atrato  river,  so  as  to 
include  the  whole  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  I  would  notice 
the  first  appearance  of  the  Spaniards  along  these  shores.  I 
would  make  my  first  volume  the  conquest  of  Darien,  bring- 
ing the  history  down  from  the  discovery  by  Columbus  and 
the  first  touching  of  the  North  American  continent  at  the 
isthmus  by  Rodrigo  de  Bastidas  in  1501,  to  about  the  year 
1530,  to  be  followed  by  a  chapter  on  the  expedition  of 
Pizarro  from  Panama  to  Peru. 

So  I  entered  upon  a  thorough  study  of  the  discovery  of 
America,  of  society  and  civilization  in  Europe  at  and  prior 
to  the  discovery ;  paying  particular  attention  to  Spanish  char- 
acter and  institutions.  At  this  time  I  was  almost  wholly 
occupied  in  handling  the  ideas  of  others ;  but  it  was  not  long 
before  I  began  to  have  ideas  of  my  own ;  just  as  Spinoza  in 
writing  a  synopsis  of^he  system  of  Descartes  threw  into  the 
principles  of  Cartesian  philosophy  much  original  thought  and 
speculation  while  scarcely  conscious  of  it.  I  wrote  a  long 
dissertation  for  what  I  conceived  a  fit  introduction  to  a  his- 
tory of  the  Pacific  States.  To  follow  this  introduction,  with 
some  assistance  I  prepared  a  summary  of  voyages  and  dis- 
covery from  the  earliest  times  to  about  1540. 

Over  these  two  summaries  I  labored  long  and  faithfully, 
spending  fully  six  months  on  them  with  all  the  assistance  I 
could  utilize.  Oftentimes  work  arose  where  assistance  was 
impracticable ;  I  could  perform  it  better  alone ;  with  a  dozen 
good  men  at  my  elbow  I  have  nevertheless  written  many 
volumes  alone,  taking  out  all  notes  myself,  because  I  could 
not  profitably  employ  assistants.  And  further  than  this,  I 
often  carried  on  no  less  than  four  or  five  distinct  works  pari 
passu. 

To  my  help  in  writing  this  introduction  I  called  a  man 
well  informed  in  all  mediaeval  knowledge.    In  all  science  and 


154  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

regarding  all  schools  his  opinions  were  modem,  yet  he  could 
readily  explain  the  theories  of  those  who  held  opposite  doc- 
trines. Surely,  I  thought,  in  preparing  such  an  essay  as  I 
desired,  such  a  person  would  be  invaluable.  So  I  instructed 
him  to  study  the  subject,  particularly  that  part  of  it  relating 
to  literature,  language,  and  learning,  with  the  view  of  his 
gathering  some  pertinent  facts  for  me.  He  read,  and  read, 
eagerly  devouring  all  he  could  lay  hands  on.  And  he  would 
have  continued  reading  to  this  day  had  I  been  willing  to 
pay  him  his  salary  for  it.  He  liked  to  read.  And  I  said  to 
myself,  surely,  as  the  result  of  such  enthusiasm  I  shall  have  a 
bushel  of  invaluable  notes. 

Meanwhile  I  labored  hard  myself,  studying  carefully  over 
two  hundred  volumes  bearing  upon  the  subject,  taking  notes 
and  committing  my  ideas  to  paper.  The  trouble  was  —  as 
was  always  the  trouble  —  to  limit  the  sketch,  yet  make  it 
symmetrical  and  complete.  Occasionally  I  would  urge  my 
assistant  to  biing  his  investigations  to  some  practical  result, 
for  after  reading  two  months  he  had  not  half  a  dozen  pages 
of  written  matter  to  show. 

"  Let  me  get  it  fairly  into  my  head,"  said  he,  '•'  and  I  will 
soon  commit  it  to  paper." 

And  so  for  another  month  he  continued  reading,  until  I 
became  tired  of  it,  and  told  him  plainly  to  give  me  what  he 
had  gathered  and  leave  the  subject.  A  fortnight  later  he 
handed  me  about  thirty  pages  of  commonplace  information, 
in  which  there  was  hardly  a  note  that  proved  any  addition  to 
my  own  researches.  And  this  was  the  result  of  his  three 
months'  hard  work,  for  he  really  applied  himself  diligently 
to  the  task,  and  thought  all  the  time  that  he  was  making  pro- 
gress until  he  came  to  the  summing  up,  which  disappointed 
him  as  much  as  myself.  While  engaged  in  the  study  his  mind 
had  absorbed  a  vast  amount  of  information,  which  might 
some  time  prove  valuable  to  him,  but  was  of  no  use  to  me. 
And  so  it  often  happened,  particularly  at  the  first,  and  before 
I  had  applied  a  thorough  system  of  drilling;  months  and 
years  were  vainly  spent  by  able  men  in  the  effort  to  extract 


MY   FIRST    BOOK.  1 55 

material  for  me.  With  regard  to  the  introduction,  as  was  yet 
often  the  case,  I  had  vague  conceptions  only  of  what  I  should 
require,  for  the  reason  that  I  could  not  tell  what  shape  the 
subject  would  assume  when  wrought  out.  This  was  the  case 
with  many  a  chapter  or  volume.  Its  character  I  could  not 
altogether  control ;  nay,  rather  than  control  it  I  would  let 
fact  have  free  course,  and  record  only  as  directed  by  the  sub- 
ject itself.  One  is  scarcely  fit  to  write  upon  a  subject  until 
one  has  written  much  upon  it.  That  which  is  I  would  re- 
cord; yet  that  which  is  may  be  differently  understood  by 
different  persons.  I  endeavored  always  to  avoid  planting 
myself  upon  an  opinion,  and  saying  thus  and  so  it  is,  and  shall 
be,  all  incidental  and  collateral  facts  being  warped  accord- 
ingly ;  rather  would  I  write  the  truth,  let  the  result  be  what 
it  might. 

He  who  aims  at  honesty  will  never  leave  a  subject  on  which 
he  discourses  without  an  eftbrt  at  a  judicial  view,  or  without 
an  attempt  to  separate  himself  from  his  subject  and  to  marshal 
the  arguments  on  the  other  side.  He  will  contradict  his  own 
statement,  and  demur  to  his  conclusions,  until  the  matter  is 
so  thoroughly  sifted  in  his  owm  mind  that  a  highly  prejudiced 
view  would  be  improbable.  He  who  warps  fact  or  fails  to 
give  evidence  against  himself  is  not  entided  to  our  respect. 
The  writer  of  exact  history  must  lay  aside,  so  far  as  possible, 
his  emotional  nature.  Knowing  that  his  judgment  is  liable 
to  prejudice,  and  that  it  is  impossible  to  be  always  conscious 
of  its  presence,  he  will  constantly  suspect  himself  and  rigidly 
review  his  work.  If  there  was  one  thing  David  Hume  piqued 
himself  on  more  than  another,  it  was  his  freedom  from  bias ; 
and  yet  the  writings  of  no  historian  uncover  more  glaring 
prejudices  than  do  his  in  certain  places.  A  classicist  of  the 
Diderot  and  Voltaire  school,  he  despised  too  heartily  the 
writings  of  the  monkish  chroniclers  to  examine  them.  Macau- 
lay  sacrificed  truthfulness  to  an  epigrammatic  style.  It  has 
always  been  my  custom  to  examine  carefully  authorities  cur- 
rently held  of  little  or  no  value.  Not  that  I  ever  derived,  or 
expected  to  derive,  much  benefit  from  them,  but  it  was  a 


156  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

satisfaction  to  know  everything  that  had  been  written  on  the 
subject  I  was  treating.  And  as  for  bias,  though  not  pretend- 
ing to  be  free  from  it  —  who  that  hves  is  ?  —  yet  were  I  ever 
knowingly  to  reach  the  point  where  pride  of  opinion  was 
preferred  before  truth,  I  should  wish  from  that  moment  to  lay 
down  my  pen. 

The  introduction  to  my  history  was  exclusively  my  own 
theme;  in  some  subjects  others  might  to  some  extent  partici- 
pate with  me,  but  not  in  this.  Hence,  during  the  fourteen 
weeks  my  really  talented  assistant  was  floundering  in  a  sea 
of  erudition,  with  little  .or  nothing  available  in  the  end  to 
show  for  it,  I  myself  had  taken  out  material  from  which  I 
easily  wrote  three  hundred  pages,  though  after  twice  re- 
arranging and  re-writing  I  reduced  it  one  half,  eliminated 
half  of  what  was  left,  and  printed  the  remainder. 

And  now  was  fully  begun  this  new  life  of  mine,  the  old  life 
being  dead;  a  sea  of  unborn  experiences  which  I  prayed 
might  be  worth  the  sailing  over,  else  might  I  as  well  have 
ceased  to  be  ere  myself  embarking.  This  change  of  life  was 
as  the  birth  of  a  new  creature,  a  baptism  in  a  new  atmo- 
sphere. With  the  chrysalis  of  business  was  left  the  ambition 
of  ordinary  acquisition,  so  that  the  intellect  might  rise  into 
the  glorious  sunshine  of  nobler  acquisition.  The  Avealth  which 
might  minister  to  sensual  gratification  was  made  to  subserve 
the  wealth  of  intellectual  gratification.  Literature  is  its  own 
recompense.  "The  reward  of  a  good  sentence  is  to  have 
written  it,"  says  Higginson,  And  again,  "The  literary  man 
must  love  his  art,  as  the  painter  must  love  painting,  out  of  all 
proportion  to  its  rewards;  or  rather,  the  delight  of  the  work 
must  be  its  own  reward."  Whatever  I  undertook  to  do 
seemed  long,  interminably  long  it  seemed  to  me.  In  the 
grammar  of  mankind  it  requires  nearly  half  a  centuiy  of 
study  to  learn  that  the  present  tense  of  life  is  now.  Nay,  not 
only  is  the  present  tense  now,  but  the  present  is  the  only  tense; 
the  past  for  us  is  gone;  the  future,  who  shall  say  that  it  is  his? 

I  had  now  become  fully  imbued  with  the  idea  that  there 
was  a  work  to  do,  and  that  this  was  my  work.     1  entered 


MY   FIRST   BOOK.  157 

upon  it  with  relish,  and  as  I  progressed  it  satisfied  me. 
Following  a  fit  of  despondency,  a  triumph  was  like  the  danc- 
ing of  light  on  the  icy  foliage  after  a  gloomy  storm.  In  plan- 
ning and  executing,  in  loading  my  mind  and  discharging  it 
on  paper,  in  finding  outlet  and  expression  to  pent-up  thought, 
in  the  healthful  exercise  of  my  mental  faculties,  I  found  relief 
such  as  I  had  never  before  experienced,  relief  from  the  cor- 
roding melancholy  of  stifled  aspirations,  and  a  pleasure  more 
exquisite  than  any  I  had  hitherto  dreamed  of.  There  is  a 
pivot  on  which  man's  happiness  and  unhappiness  not  unevenly 
balance.  How  keen  this  enjoyment  after  an  absence  or  break 
of  any  kind  in  my  labors !  Back  to  my  work,  my  beloved 
work,  surrounded  by  wife  and  children;  away  from  hates  and 
heart-burnings,  from  brutish  snarlings,  law  courts,  and  rounds 
of  dissipating  society;  back  to  the  labor  that  fires  the  brain 
and  thrills  the  heart. 

Though  ever  steadfast  in  my  purpose,  I  was  often  obliged 
to  change  my  plans.  I  kept  on,  however,  at  the  history  until 
I  had  completed  the  first  volume,  until  I  had  written  fully 
the  conquest  of  Darien  and  the  conquest  of  Peru  —  until  I 
had  rewritten  the  volume,  the  first  writing  not  suiting  me. 
This  I  did,  taking  out  even  most  of  the  notes  myself.  But 
long  before  I  had  finished  this  volume  I  became  satisfied  that 
something  must  be  done  with  the  aborigines.  Wherever  I 
touched  the  continent  with  my  Spaniards  they  were  there,  a 
dusky,  disgusting  subject.  I  did  not  fancy  them.  I  would 
gladly  have  avoided  them.  I  was  no  archaeologist,  ethnolo- 
gist, or  antiquary,  and  had  no  desire  to  become  such.  My 
tastes  in  the  matter,  however,  did  not  dispose  of  the  subject. 
The  savages  were  there,  and  there  was  no  help  for  me;  I 
must  write  them  up  to  get  rid  of  them. 

Nor  was  their  proper  place  the  general  history,  or  any  of 
the  several  parts  thereof;  nor  was  it  the  place  to  speak  of 
them  where  first  encountered.  It  would  not  do  to  break  off 
a  narrative  of  events  in  order  to  describe  the  manners  and 
customs,  or  the  language,  or  the  mythology  of  a  native 
nation.     The  reader  should  know  something  of  both  peoples 


158  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

thus  introduced  to  each  other  before  passing  the  introduction ; 
he  should  know  all  about  them. 

Once  settled  that  the  natives  must  be  described  in  a  work 
set  apart  for  them,  the  question  arose,  How  should  they  be 
treated  ?  Uppermost  in  the  mind  when  the  words  "  Indian  " 
and  "  Digger  "  appeared  were  the  ragged,  half-starved,  and 
half-drunken  prowlers  round  the  outskirts  of  civilization, 
cooped  in  reservations  or  huddled  in  missions;  and  a  book 
on  them  would  treat  of  their  thefts,  massacres,  and  capture. 
Little  else  than  raids,  fightings,  and  exterminations  we  heard 
concerning  them;  these,  coupled  with  opprobrious  epithets 
which  classed  them  as  cattle  rather  than  as  human  beings, 
tended  in  no  wise  to  render  the  subject  fascinating  to  me. 

In  fact  the  subject  was  not  popularly  regarded  as  very 
interesting,  unless  formed  into  a  bundle  of  thrilling  tales,  and 
that  was  exactly  what  I  would  not  do.  Batdes  and  adven- 
tures belonged  to  history  proper ;  here  was  required  all  that 
we  could  learn  of  them  before  the  coming  of  the  Europeans : 
some  history,  all  that  they  had,  but  mostly  description.  They 
should  be  described  as  they  stood  in  all  their  native  glory, 
and  before  the  withering  hand  of  civilization  was  laid  upon 
them.  They  should  be  described  as  they  were  first  seen  by 
Europeans  along  the  several  paths  of  discovery,  by  the  con- 
querors of  Darien,  Costa  Rica,  Nicaragua,  Guatemala,  and 
Mexico,  during  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century ;  by  the 
missionaries  to  the  north ;  by  the  American  fur-hunters,  the 
French  Canadian  trappers,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
servants,  and  the  Russian  voyagers  and  seal-catchers  on  the 
shores  of  Alaska ;  also  by  circumnavigators  and  travellers  in 
various  parts  —  thus  the  plan  presented  itself  to  my  mind. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  much  personal  investigation  in  such 
a  work  was  impossible.  For  the  purpose  of  studying  the 
character  and  customs  of  hundreds  of  nations  and  tribes  I 
could  not  spend  a  lifetime  with  each;  and  to  learn  the  six 
hundred  and  more  dialects  which  I  found  on  these  shores  was 
impracticable,  even  had  they  all  been  spoken  at  the  time  of 
my  investigations.     I  must  take  the  word  of  those  who  had 


MY   FIRST   BOOK.  1 59 

lived  among  these  people,  and  had  learned  during  the  three 
centuries  of  their  discovering  whatever  was  known  of  them. 

Spreading  the  subject  before  me  with  hardly  any  other 
guide  than  practical  common-sense,  I  resolved  the  question 
into  its  several  divisions.  'What  is  it  we  wish  to  know  about 
these  people  ?  I  asked  myself.  First,  their  appearance,  the 
color  of  the  skin,  the  texture  of  the  hair,  fonn,  features,  phy- 
sique. Then  the  houses  in  which  they  lived,  the  food  they 
ate,  how  they  built  their  houses,  and  obtained  and  preserved 
their  food,  their  implements  and  weapons,  their  ornaments 
and  dress ;  what  constituted  wealth  with  them ;  their  govern- 
ment, laws,  and  religious  institutions ;  the  power  and  position 
of  rulers,  and  the  punishment  of  crimes ;  the  arts  and  intel- 
lectual advancement;  family  relations,  husband  and  wife, 
children,  slaves ;  the  position  of  woman,  including  courtship, 
marriage,  polygamy,  childbirth,  and  chastity;  their  amuse- 
ments, dances,  games,  feasts,  bathing,  smoking,  drinking, 
gambling,  racing ;  their  diseases,  treatment  of  the  sick,  medi- 
cine-men ;  their  mourning,  burial,  and  many  other  like  topics 
relating  to  life  and  society  among  these  unlettered  denizens 
of  this  blooming  wilderness. 

Manners  and  customs  being  the  common  term  employed 
by  ethnologists  for  such  description,  unable  to  find,  after 
careful  study  and  consideration  of  the  question,  a  better  one, 
I  adopted  it.  The  first  division  of  my  subject,  then,  was  the 
manners  and  customs  of  these  peoples.  But  here  a  difficulty 
arose.  In  points  of  intellectual  growth  and  material  progress, 
of  relative  savagery  and  civilization,  there  were  such  wide 
differences  between  the  many  nations  of  the  vast  Pacific  sea- 
board that  to  bring  them  all  together  would  make  an  incon- 
gruous mass,  and  to  fit  them  to  one  plan  would  be  far-fetched 
and  impracticable. 

For  example,  there  were  the  snake-eating  Shoshones  of 
Utah,  and  the  cloth-makers  and  land-tillers  of  the  Pueblo 
towns  of  New  Mexico;  there  were  the  blubber-eating 
dwellers  of  the  subterranean  dens  of  Alaska,  and  the  civilized 
city -builders  of  the  Mexican  table-land;  the  coarse,  brutal 


l6o  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

inhabitants  of  British  CoUimbia,  and  the  refined  and  intelligent 
Mayas  and  Quiches  of  Central  America.  What  had  these  in 
common  to  be  described  more  than  Arab,  Greek,  and  African  ? 

Obviously  there  must  be  some  division.  The  subject 
could  not  be  handled  in  such  a  form.  Whatever  might  be 
their  relation  as  regards  the  great  continental  divisions  of  the 
human  family,  the  terms  race  and  species  as  applied  to  the 
several  American  nations  I  soon  discovered  to  be  meaning- 
less. As  convincing  arguments  might  be  advanced  to  prove 
them  of  one  race  as  of  twenty,  of  three  as  of  forty.  Some 
call  the  Eskimos  one  race,  and  all  the  rest  in  America  from 
Hudson's  Bay  to  Tierra  del  Fuego  one  race.  Some  segregate 
the  Aztecs;  others  distinguish  the  Californians  as  Malays, 
and  the  natives  of  Brazil  as  Africans.  I  soon  perceived  that 
ethnologists  still  remained  mystified  and  at  variance,  and  I 
resolved  not  to  increase  the  confusion. 

This  I  could  do :  I  could  group  them  geographically,  and 
note  physique,  customs,  institutions,  beliefs,  and,  most  im- 
portant of  all,  languages ;  then  he  who  would  might  classify 
them  according  to  race  and  species.  In  all  my  work  I  was 
determined  to  keep  upon  firm  ground,  to  avoid  meaningless 
and  even  technical  terms,  to  avoid  theories,  speculations,  and 
superstitions  of  every  kind,  and  to  deal  only  in  facts.  This 
I  relied  on  more  than  on  any  other  one  thing.  My  work 
could  not  be  wholly  worthless  if  I  gathered  only  facts,  and 
arranged  them  in  some  form  which  should  bring  them  within 
reach  of  those  who  had  not  access  to  my  material,  or  who 
could  not  use  it  if  they  had ;  whereas  theories  might  be  over- 
thrown as  worthless.  I  had  not  studied  long  the  many  ques- 
tions arising  from  a  careful  survey  of  the  material  brought 
forth  and  arranged  for  my  Native  Races  before  I  became 
aware  that  many  things  which  were  long  since  supposed  to 
be  settled  were  not  settled,  and  much  which  I  would  be  ex- 
pected to  decide  never  could  be  decided  by  any  one.  The 
more  I  thought  of  these  things  the  stronger  became  an  in- 
herent repugnance  to  positiveness  in  cases  where  nothing 
was  positive. 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  l6l 

Many  complained  because  I  did  not  settle  insoluble  ques- 
tions for  them,  because  I  did  not  determine  beyond  perad- 
venture  the  origin  of  the  Americans,  where  they  came  from, 
who  their  fathers  were,  and  who  made  them.  But  far  more 
found  tliis  absence  of  vain  and  tiresome  speculation  com- 
mendable. 

Finally,  after  much  deliberation  to  enable  me  to  grasp  the 
subject  which  lay  spread  over  such  a  vast  territory,  I  con- 
cluded to  divide  manners  and  customs  into  two  parts,  making 
of  the  wild  or  savage  tribes  one  division,  and  of  the  civilized 
nations  another.  The  civilized  nations  all  lay  together  in 
two  main  families,  the  Nahuas  of  central  Mexico  and  the 
Mayas  of  Central  America.  The  savage  tribes,  however, 
extended  from  the  extreme  north  to  the  extreme  southern 
limits  of  our  Pacific  States  territory,  completely  suiTOunding 
the  civilized  nations.  The  wild  tribes,  therefore,  must  be 
grouped ;  and  I  could  think  of  no  better  plan  than  to  adopt 
arbitrarily  territorial  divisions,  never  dividing,  however,  a 
nation,  tribe,  or  family  that  seemed  clearly  one.  There  were 
the  Pueblos  of  New  Mexico,  who  could  be  placed  among  the 
savage  or  civilized  nations  according  to  convenience.  I  placed 
them  among  the  wild  tribes,  though  they  were  as  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Nootkas  of  Vancouver  Island  as  the  INIayas  were 
in  advance  of  the  Pueblos.  Indeed,  like  most  of  these  ex- 
pressions, the  terms  savage  and  civilized  are  purely  relative. 
Where  is  the  absolute  savage  on  the  face  of  the  earth  to-day; 
where  the  man  absolutely  perfect  in  his  civilization  ?  What 
we  call  civilization  is  not  a  fixed  state,  but  an  irresistible  and 
eternal  moving  onward. 

The  groupings  I  at  last  adopted  for  the  Manners  and  Cus- 
toms of  the  Wild  Tribes  Avere :  Beginning  at  the  extreme  north, 
all  those  nations  lying  north  of  the  fifty-fifth  parallel  I  called, 
arbitrarily,  Hyperboreans  ;  to  those  whose  lands  were  drained 
by  the  Columbia  river  and  its  tributaries  I  gave  the  name  Cohim- 
biaus;  the  California7is  included  in  their  division  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  great  basin ;  then  there  were  the  New  Mexicans, 
the  Wild  Tribes  of  Mexico,  and  the  Wild  Tribes  of  Central 
II 


l62  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

America.  There  was  no  special  reason  in  beginning  at  the 
north  rather  than  at  the  south.  Indeed,  in  treating  the  sub- 
ject of  antiquities  I  began  at  the  south,  but  this  was  partly 
because  the  chief  monumental  remains  were  in  Central 
America  and  Mexico,  and  few  of  importance  north  of  Mexico. 
And  there  were  other  topics  to  be  examined,  such  as  lan- 
guages, myths,  and  architectural  remains;  and  the  civilized 
nations  had  their  own  written  history  to  be  given. 

It  was  my  purpose  to  lay  before  the  world  absolutely  all 
that  was  known  of  these  peoples  at  the  time  of  the  appear- 
ing among  them  of  their  European  exterminators.  All  real 
knowledge  of  them  I  would  present,  and  their  history,  so  far 
as  they  had  a  history.  I  had  little  to  say  of  the  aborigines  or 
their  deeds  since  the  coming  of  the  Europeans,  of  their  wars 
against  invaders  and  among  themselves;  of  repartimientos, 
presidios,  missions,  reservations,  and  other  institutions  for 
their  conquest,  conversion,  protection,  or  oppression.  My 
reason  for  this  was  that  all  these  things,  so  far  as  they  pos- 
sessed importance,  belonged  to  the  modern  history  of  the 
country  where  they  were  to  receive  attention.  The  wild 
tribes  in  the  absence  of  written  records  had  very  little  his- 
tory, and  that  little  was  mingled  with  the  crudest  of  super- 
natural conceptions. 

Besides  these  several  branches  of  the  subject  I  could  think 
of  no  others.  These  included  all  that  related  in  any  wise  to 
their  temporahties  or  their  spiritualities ;  everything  relating 
to  mind,  soul,  body,  and  estate,  language,  and  literature. 
The  last  mentioned  subjects,  namely,  myths,  languages, 
antiquities,  and  history,  I  thought  best  to  treat  separately, 
and  for  the  following  reasons :  The  myths  of  these  peoples, 
their  strange  conceptions  of  their  origin,  their  deities,  and 
their  future  state,  would  present  a  much  more  perfect  and 
striking  picture  placed  together  where  they  might  the  better 
be  analyzed  and  compared.  And  so  with  languages  and  the 
others.  These  might  or  might  not  be  taken  up  territorially; 
in  this  respect  I  would  be  governed  by  the  subject-matter  at 
the  time  I  treated  it.    It  resulted  that  as  a  rule  they  were  so 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  1 63 

treated;  that  is,  beginning  at  one  end  or  the  other  of  the 
territory  and  proceeding  systematically  to  the  other  end. 
Myths  and  languages  both  begin  at  the  north;  antiquities 
proceed  from  the  south ;  history  is  confined  mostly  to  the 
table-lands  of  Mexico  and  Central  America,  and  had  no 
need  of  territorial  treatment. 

All  this  I  hoped  to  condense,  at  the  outset,  into  two  vol- 
umes, the  first  of  which  would  comprise  the  manners  and 
customs  of  both  savage  and  civilized  tribes,  the  other  divisions 
filling  the  second  volume.  But  I  soon  saw  that,  after  the 
severest  and  most  persistent  compressing,  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  wild  tribes  alone  would  fill  a  volume.  In 
each  of  the  six  great  tenitorial  divisions  of  this  branch  of  the 
subject  there  was  much  in  common  with  all  the  rest.  A  cus- 
tom or  characteristic  once  mentioned  was  seldom  again 
described,  differences  only  being  noticed ;  but  in  every  nation 
there  was  much  which,  though  generally  similar  to  like 
characteristics  in  other  tribes,  so  differed  in  minor  if  not  in 
main  particulars  as  to  demand  a  separate  description.  Hence 
I  was  obliged  either  to  take  more  space  or  to  let  the  varying 
customs  go  unnoticed,  and  the  latter  course  I  could  not  make 
up  my  mind  to  adopt. 

So  the  first  volume  became  two  almost  at  the  outset ;  for  it 
was  soon  apparent  that  the  portraiture  of  the  civilized  nations 
—  a  description  of  their  several  eras ;  their  palaces,  house- 
holds, and  government ;  their  castes  and  classes,  slaves,  tenure 
of  land,  and  taxation ;  their  education,  marriage,  concubinage, 
childbirth,  and  baptism ;  their  feasts  and  amusements ;  their 
food,  dress,  commerce,  and  war  customs ;  their  laws  and  law 
■courts,  their  arts  and  manufactures ;  their  calendar  and  picture- 
writing  ;  their  architecture,  gardens,  medicines,  funeral  rites, 
and  the  like  —  would  easily  fill  a  volume. 

Proceeding  further  in  the  work  it  was  ascertained  that  myths 
and  languages  would  together  require  a  volume ;  that  the  sub- 
ject of  antiquities,  with  the  necessary  three  or  four  hundred 
illustrations,  would  occupy  a  volume,  and  that  the  primitive 
history  of  the  Nahuas  and  Mayas,  with  which  Brasseur  de 


1 64  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Bourbourg  filled  four  volumes,  could  not  be  properly  written 
in  less  than  one. 

Thus  we  see  the  two  volumes  swollen  to  five,  even  then 
one  of  the  principal  difficulties  in  the  work  being  to  confine 
the  ever  swelling  subjects  within  these  rigidly  prescribed  limits. 
So  great  is  the  tendency,  so  much  easier  is  it,  when  one  has 
an  interesting  subject,  to  write  it  out  and  revel  in  description, 
rather  than  to  cramp  it  into  a  sometimes  distorting  compass, 
that  whatever  I  take  up  is  almost  sure  to  overrun  the  first 
calculations. 

Five  volumes,  then,  comprised  the  Native  Races  of  the 
Pacific  States :  the  first  being  the  Wild  Tribes,  their  manners 
and  customs;  the  second,  the  Civilized  Nations  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America;  the  third.  Myths  and  Languages  of 
both  savage  and  civilized  nations;  the  fourth,  Antiquities, 
including  Architectural  remains ;  and  the  fifth,  Primitive  His- 
tory and  Migrations.  A  copious  index,  filling  one  hundred 
and  sixty-two  pages,  and  referring  alphabetically  to  each  of 
the  ten  or  twelve  thousand  subjects  mentioned  in  the  five 
volumes,  completed  the  work. 

Maps  showing  the  locations  of  the  aborigines  according 
to  their  nation,  family,  and  tribe,  were  introduced  wherever 
necessary,  the  first  volume  containing  six,  one  for  each  of  the 
great  territorial  divisions. 

Such  was  the  plan;  now  as  to  the  execution.  As  the 
scheme  was  entirely  my  own,  as  I  had  consulted  with  no  one 
outside  of  the  library  about  it,  and  with  my  assistants  but 
little,  I  had  only  to  work  it  out  after  my  own  fashion. 

The  questions  of  race  and  species  settled,  to  my  own  satis- 
faction at  least,  in  an  Ethnological  Introduction,  which  con- 
stitutes the  first  chapter  of  the  first  volume,  I  brought  together 
for  following  chapters  all  the  material  touching  the  first  main 
division,  the  Hyperboreans,  and  proceeded  to  abstract  it.  It 
was  somewhat  confusing  to  me  at  first  to  determine  the  sub- 
jects to  be  treated  and  the  order  in  which  I  should  name 
them;  but  sooner  than  I  had  anticipated  there  arose  in  my 
mind  what  I  conceived  to  be  natural  sequence  in  all  these 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  165 

things,  and  there  was  httle  difficulty  or  hesitation.  Above 
all  things  I  sought  simplicity  in  style,  substance,  and  arrange- 
ment, fully  realizing  that  the  more  easily  I  could  make  myself 
understood,  the  better  my  readers  would  be  pleased. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  parts  of  the  work  was  to  locate 
the  tribes  and  compile  the  maps.  Accurately  to  define  the 
boundaries  of  primitive  nations,  much  of  the  time  at  war  and 
migrating  with  the  seasons,  is  impossible,  from  the  fact  that, 
although  they  aim  to  have  the  limits  of  their  lands  well  de- 
fined, these  boundaries  are  constantly  shifting.  The  best  I 
could  do  was  to  take  out  all  information  relative  to  the  loca- 
tion of  every  tribe,  bring  together  what  each  author  had  said 
upon  the  different  peoples,  and  print  it  in  his  own  language, 
under  the  heading  Tribal  Boundaries,  in  small  type  at  the 
end  of  every  chapter. 

Thus  there  were  as  many  of  these  sections  on  tribal  boun- 
daries as  there  were  divisions ;  and  from  these  I  had  drawn  a 
large  ethnographical  map  of  the  whole  Pacific  States,  from 
which  were  engraved  the  subdivisions  inserted  at  the  begin- 
ning of  each  secrion.  In  this  way  every  available  scrap 
of  material  in  existence  was  used  and  differences  as  far  as 
possible  were  reconciled. 

When  my  first  division  was  wholly  v/ritten  I  submitted  it 
in  turn  to  each  of  my  principal  assistants,  and  invited  their 
criticism,  assuring  them  that  I  should  be  best  pleased  with 
him  who  could  find  most  fault  with  it.  A  number  of  sug- 
gestions were  made,  some  of  which  I  acted  on.  In  general 
the  plan  as  first  conceived  was  carried  out;  and  to-day  I  do 
not  see  how  it  could  be  changed  for  the  better.  I  then  ex- 
plained to  my  assistants  how  I  had  reached  the  results,  and 
giving  to  each  a  division  I  requested  them  in  like  manner  to 
gather  and  arrange  the  material,  and  place  it  before  me  in 
the  best  form  possible  for  my  use.  During  the  progress  of 
this  work  I  succeeded  in  utilizing  the  labors  of  my  assistants 
to  the  full  extent  of  my  anticipations ;  indeed,  it  was  neces- 
sary I  should  do  so.  Otherwise  from  a  quarter  to  a  half 
century  would  have  been  occupied  in  this  one  work.     With- 


1 66  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

out  taking  into  account  the  indexing  of  thousands  of  volumes 
merely  to  point  out  where  material  existed,  or  the  collecting 
of  the  material,  there  was  in  each  of  these  five  volumes  the 
work  of  fifteen  men  for  eight  months,  or  of  one  man  for  ten 
years.  This  estimate,  I  say,  carefully  made  after  the  work 
was  done,  showed  that  there  had  been  expended  on  the 
N'aiive  Races  labor  equivalent  to  the  well  directed  efforts  of 
one  man,  every  day,  Sundays  excepted,  from  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning  till  six  at  night,  for  a  period  of  fifty  years.  In 
this  estimate  I  do  not  include  the  time  lost  in  unsuccessful 
experiments,  but  only  the  actual  time  employed  in  taking  out 
the  material,  writing  the  work,  preparing  the  index  for  the 
five  volumes,  which  alone  was  one  year's  labor,  proof-reading, 
and  comparison  with  authorities.  The  last  two  requirements 
consumed  an  immense  amount  of  time,  the  proof  being  read 
eight  or  nine  times,  and  every  reference  compared  with  the 
original  authority  after  the  work  was  in  type.  This  seemed 
to  me  necessary  to  insure  accuracy,  on  account  of  the  many 
foreign  languages  in  which  the  authorities  were  written,  and 
the  multitude  of  native  and  strange  words  which  crowded  my 
pages.  Both  text  and  notes  were  rewritten,  compared,  and 
corrected  without  limit,  until  they  were  supposed  to  be  per- 
fect; and  I  venture  to  say  that  never  a  work  of  that  character 
and  magnitude  went  to  press  finally  with  fewer  errors. 

Fifty  years !  I  had  not  so  many  to  spare  upon  this  work. 
Possibly  I  might  die  before  the  time  had  expired  or  the  vol- 
umes were  completed ;  and  what  should  I  do  with  the  two 
or  three  hundred  years'  additional  work  that  was  already 
planned  ? 

When  the  oracle  informed  Mycerinus  that  he  had  but  six 
years  to  live,  he  thought  to  outwit  the  gods  by  making  the 
night  as  day.  Lighting  his  lamps  at  nightfall  he  feasted 
until  morning,  thus  striving  to  double  his  term.  I  must 
multiply  my  days  in  some  way  to  do  this  work.  I  had  at- 
tcmi^tcd  the  trick  of  Mycerinus,  but  it  would  not  succeed 
with  me,  for  straightway  the  outraged  deities  ordained  that 
for  every  hour  so  stolen  I  must  repay  fourfold.     The  work 


MY    FIRST    BOOK.  1 67 

of  my  assistants,  besides  saving  me  an  immense  amount  of 
drudgery  and  manual  labor,  left  my  mind  always  fresh,  and 
open  to  receive  and  retain  the  subject  as  a  whole.  I  could 
institute  comparisons  and  indulge  in  generalizations  more 
freely,  and  I  believe  more  effectually,  than  with  my  mind 
overwhelmed  by  a  mass  of  detail,  I  do  not  know  how  far 
others  have  carried  this  system.  Herbert  Spencer,  I  believe, 
derived  much  help  from  assistants.  German  authors  have 
the  faculty  of  multiplying  their  years  with  the  aid  of  others 
in  a  greater  degree  than  any  other  people.  Besides  having 
scholars  in  various  parts  of  the  country  at  work  for  him, 
Bunsen  employed  five  or  six  secretaries.  Professors  in  the 
German  universities  are  most  prolific  authors,  and  almost  to 
a  man  they  have  each  the  assistance  of  one  or  two  students. 
Thus  says  Hurst :  "  While  the  real  author  is  responsible 
for  every  word  that  goes  out  under  his  own  name,  and  can 
justly  claim  the  parentage  of  the  whole  idea,  plan,  and  scope 
of  the  work,  he  is  spared  much  of  the  drudgery  incident  to 
all  book-making  which  is  not  the  immediate  first  fruit  of 
imagination.  Where  history  is  to  be  ransacked,  facts  to  be 
grouped,  and  matters  of  pure  detail  to  be  gleaned  from 
various  sources,  often  another  could  do  better  service  than 
the  author."  The  young  Germans  who  thus  assist  authors 
highly  prize  the  discipline  by  means  of  which  they  often  be- 
come authors  themselves.  At  Halle,  during  his  half  century 
of  labor,  Tholuck  had  several  theological  students  at  work 
for  him,  some  of  whom  were  members  of  his  own  family. 
And  thence  proceeded  several  famous  authors,  among  whom 
were  Kurtz  and  Held.  So  Jacobi  and  Piper  started  forth 
from  Neander.  And  the  system  is  growing  in  favor  in  the 
United  States. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   PERILS   OF   PUBLISHING. 


Murcielagos  literarios 
Que  haccis  a  pluma  y  a  pelo, 
Si  quereis  vivir  con  todos 
Miraos  en  este  espejo. 

— Iriarfe. 


ALL  the  anxiety  I  had  hitherto  felt  in  regard  to  the  Native 
Races  was  as  author  thereof;  now  I  had  to  undergo  the 
trials  of  publishing. 

Business  experience  had  taught  me  that  the  immediate 
recognition,  even  of  a  work  of  merit,  depends  almost  as  much 
on  the  manner  of  bringing  it  forth  as  upon  its  authorship.  So 
easily  swayed  are  those  who  pass  judgment  on  the  works  of 
authors;  so  greatly  are  they  ruled  by  accidental  or  incidental 
causes  who  form  for  the  public  their  opinion,  that  actual 
worth  is  seldom  alone  the  thing  considered. 

Experience  had  told  me  that  a  book  written,  printed,  and 
published  at  this  date  on  the  Pacific  coast,  no  matter  how 
meritorious  or  by  whom  sent  forth,  that  is  to  say,  if  done  by 
any  one  worth  the  castigating,  would  surely  be  condemned 
by  some  and  praised  coldly  and  critically  by  others.  There 
are  innumerable  local  prejudices  abroad  which  prevent  us  from 
recognizing  to  the  fullest  extent  the  merits  of  our  neighbor. 
Least  of  all  would  a  work  of  mine  be  judged  solely  upon  its 
merits.  Trade  engenders  competition,  and  competition  creates 
enemies.  There  were  hundreds  in  California  who  had  thus 
become  my  ill-wishers,  and  to  please  this  class  as  well  as 
themselves  there  were  newspaper  Avriters  who  would  like 
nothing  better  than,  by  sneers  and  innuendoes,  to  consign  the 
fruits  of  laborious  years  to  oblivion. 

iC8 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  169 

I  have  seen  through  jealousy,  or  conscienceless  meanness, 
the  fruits  of  a  good  man's  best  days  thrown  to  the  dogs  by 
some  flippant  remark  of  an  unprincipled  critic.  Tuthill's 
History  of  California  was  a  good  book,  the  best  by  far  which 
up  to  its  time  had  been  written  on  the  subject.  It  was  in 
the  main  truthful  and  trustworthy.  The  author  was  a  con- 
scientious worker ;  Ipng  was  foreign  to  his  nature ;  he  spent 
his  last  days  on  this  work,  and  on  his  death-bed  corrected 
the  proofs  as  they  passed  from  the  press.  And  yet  there  were 
those  among  his  brother  editors  in  California  who  did  not 
scruple,  when  the  book  was  placed  in  their  hands  for  review, 
to  color  their  criticism  from  some  insignificant  flaws  which 
■  they  pretended  to  have  discovered,  and  so  consign  a  faithful, 
true  history  of  this  coast  to  perdition,  because  the  author  had 
taken  a  step  or  two  above  them. 

To  local  fame,  or  a  literary  reputation  restricted  to  CaH- 
fomia,  I  did  not  attach  much  value.  Not  that  I  was  indif- 
ferent to  the  opinions  of  my  neighbors,  or  that  I  distrusted 
Pacific-coast  journalists  as  a  class.  I  had  among  them  many 
warm  friends  whose  approbation  I  coveted.  But  at  this 
juncture  I  did  not  desire  the  criticism  either  of  enemies  or 
friends,  but  of  strangers;  I  was  desirous  above  all  that  my 
book  should  be  first  reviewed  on  its  merits  and  by  disinter- 
ested and  unprejudiced  men.  Adverse  criticism  at  home, 
where  the  facts  were  supposed  to  be  better  known,  might  injure 
me  abroad,  while,  if  prejudiced  in  my  favor,  the  critic  might 
give  an  opinion  which  would  be  negatived  by  those  of  New 
England  or  of  Europe.  Besides,  I  could  not  but  feel,  if  my 
work  was  worth  anything,  if  it  was  a  work  worth  doing,  that 
the  higher  the  scholar,  or  the  literary  laborer,  the  higher 
would  appear  to  him  its  value. 

The  reason  is  obvious.  I  dealt  in  facts,  gathered  from  new 
fields  and  conveniently  arranged.  These  were  the  raw  ma- 
terial for  students  in  the  several  branches  of  science,  and  for 
philosophers  in  their  generalizations.  My  theories,  if  I  in- 
dulged in  any,  would  be  worse  than  thrown  away  on  them. 
This  was  their  work;  they  would  theorize,  and  generalize, 


lyo  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

and  deduce  for  themselves ;  but  they  Avould  not  despise  my 
facts.  Hence  it  was  by  the  verdict  of  the  best  men  of  the 
United  States,  of  England,  France,  and  Germany,  the  world's 
ripest  scholars  and  deepest  thinkers,  that  my  contributions  to 
knowledge  must  stand  or  fall,  and  not  by  the  wishes  of  my 
friends  or  the  desire  of  my  enemies.  This  is  why,  I  say,  a 
home  reputation  alone  never  would  have  satisfied  me,  never 
would  have  paid  me  for  my  sacrifice  of  time,  money,  and 
many  of  the  amenities  of  life. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  1874,  I  started  east  on  a  hterary 
pilgrimage.  One  hundred  author's  copies  of  volume  i.  had 
been  printed  at  our  establishment  in  San  Francisco,  and  the 
plates  sent  east  before  my  departure.  Twenty-five  copies  of 
the  work  accompanied  the  plates ;  besides  these  I  carried  in 
my  trunk  printed  sheets  of  the  Native  Races  so  far  as  then  in 
type,  namely  the  whole  of  volume  i.,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pages  of  volume  11.,  four  hundred  pages  of  volume  iii.,  and 
one  hundred  pages  of  volume  iv. 

Besides  seeking  the  countenance  and  sympathy  of  scholars 
in  my  enterprise,  it  was  part  of  my  errand  to  find  a  publisher. 
As  the  plates  had  not  arrived  when  I  reached  New  York  I  con- 
cluded to  leave  the  matter  of  publishing  for  the  present,  direct 
my  course  toward  Boston,  and  dive  at  once  in  himinis  eras. 

It  was  my  intention  to  ask  eastern  scholars  to  examine  my 
book  and  give  me  an  expression  of  their  opinion  in  writing ; 
but  in  talking  the  matter  over  with  Dr.  Gray,  of  Cambridge, 
he  advised  me  to  delay  such  request  until  the  reviewers  had 
pronounced  their  verdict,  or  at  all  events  until  such  expression 
of  opinion  came  naturally  and  voluntarily.  This  I  concluded 
to  do ;  though  at  the  same  time  I  could  not  understand  what 
good  private  opinions  would  do  me  after  public  reviewers  had 
spoken.  Their  praise  I  sliould  not  care  to  supplement  with 
feebler  praise ;  their  disapprobation  could  not  be  averted  after 
it  had  been  printed. 

And  so  it  turned  out.  What  influence  my  seeing  these  men 
and  presenting  them  copies  of  my  book  had  on  reviewers,  if 


THE    PERILS   OF   PUBLISHING.  171 

any,  I  have  no  means  of  knowing.  Directly,  I  should  say  it 
had  none ;  indirectly,  as,  for  example,  a  word  dropped  upon 
the  subject,  or  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  author  had 
seen  and  had  explained  the  character  of  his  work  to  the  chief 
scholars  of  the  country,  might  make  the  reviewer  regard  it  a 
little  more  attentively  than  he  otherwise  would.  On  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  fifth  volume  of  the  Native  Races  Dr.  Gray  wrote 
me :  "  I  am  filled  more  and  more  with  admiration  of  what 
you  have  done  and  are  doing  ;  and  all  I  hear  around  me,  and 
read  from  the  critical  judges,  adds  to  the  good  opinion  I  had 
formed." 

Doctor  Gray  gave  me  letters  to  Francis  Parkman,  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  and  others.  While  at  Cambridge  we  called 
on  Mrs.  Horace  Mann,  but  she  being  ill,  her  sister,  Miss 
Peabody,  saw  us  instead.  With  eloquence  of  tongue  and 
ease  and  freedom  she  dissected  the  most  knotty  problems  of 
the  day. 

James  Russell  Lowell  lived  in  a  pleasant,  plain  house, 
common  to  the  intellectual  and  refined  of  that  locality. 
Longfellow's  residence  was  the  most  pretentious  I  visited, 
but  the  plain,  home-like  dwelhngs,  within  which  was  the 
atmosphere  of  genius  or  culture,  were  most  attractive  to  me. 
How  cold  and  soulless  are  the  Stewart's  marble  palaces  of 
New  York  beside  these  New  England  abodes  of  intellect 
with  their  chaste  though  unaffected  adornments ! 

Lowell  hstened  without  saying  a  word  ;  listened  for  three 
or  five  minutes,  I  should  think,  without  a  nod  or  movement 
signifying  that  he  heard  me.  I  was  quite  ready  to  take 
offence  when  once  the  suspicion  came  that  I  was  regarded 
as  a  bore. 

"  Perhaps  I  tire  you,"  at  length  I  suggested. 

"  Pray  go  on,"  said  he. 

When  I  had  finished  he  entered  warmly  into  the  merits  of 
the  case,  made  several  suggestions  and  discussed  points  of 
difference.  He  bound  me  to  him  forever  by  his  many  acts 
of  sympathy  then  and  afterward,  for  he  never  seemed  to  lose 
interest  in  my  labors,  and  wrote  me  regarding  them.     What, 


172  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

for  example,  could  have  been  more  inspiring  at  that  time 
than  to  receive  from  him,  shortly  after  my  return  to  San 
Francisco,  such  words  as  these  :  "  I  have  read  your  first 
volume  with  so  much  interest  that  I  am  hungry  for  those  to 
come.  You  have  handled  a  complex,  sometimes  even  tan- 
gled and  tautological  subject,  with  so  much  clearness  and 
discrimination  as  to  render  it  not  merely  useful  to  the  man 
of  science  but  attractive  to  the  general  reader.  The  con- 
scientious labor  in  collecting,  and  the  skill  shown  in  the 
convenient  arrangement  of  such  a  vast  body  of  material, 
deserve  the  highest  praise." 

In  Cambridge  I  called  on  Arthur  Oilman,  who  went  with 
me  to  the  Riverside  Press,  the  establishment  of  H.  O.  Hough- 
ton and  Company,  where  I  saw  INIr.  Scudder,  who  wrote  for 
Every  Saturday.  Mr.  Scudder  asked  permission  to  announce 
my  forthcoming  work  in  his  journal,  but  I  requested  him  to 
say  nothing  about  it  just  then.  I  was  shown  over  the  build- 
ings, obtained  an  estimate  for  the  printing  and  binding  of  my 
book,  and  subsequently  gave  them  the  work,  sending  the 
electrotype  plates  there.  One  thousand  copies  only  were  at 
first  printed,  then  another  thousand,  and  a  third;  the  three 
thousand  sets,  of  five  volumes  each,  being  followed  by  other 
thousands. 

Wednesday,  the  26th  of  August,  after  calling  on  several 
journalists  in  Boston,  we  took  the  boat  for  Nahant  to  find 
Mr.  Longfellow,  for  he  was  absent  from  his  home  at  Cam- 
bridge. Neither  was  he  at  Nahant.  And  so  it  was  in  many 
instances,  until  we  began  to  suspect  that  most  Boston  people 
had  two  houses,  a  city  and  a  country  habitation,  and  lived  in 
neither.  From  Nahant  we  went  to  Lynn,  and  thence  to 
Salem,  where  we  spent  the  night  undisturbed  by  witches,  in 
a  charming  little  antique  hotel. 

During  the  afternoon  we  visited  the  rooms  of  the  scientific 
association,  and  in  the  evening  Wendell  Phillips,  who  gave 
me  a  welcome  that  did  my  heart  good.  A  bright  genial  face, 
with  a  keen,  kindly  eye,  and  long  white  hair,  a  fine  figure, 


THE    PERILS    OF   PUBLISHING.  1 73 

tall  but  a  little  stooped,  I  found  him  the  embodiment  of 
shrewd  wisdom  and  practical  philanthropy.  There  was  no 
cant  or  fiction  about  him.  His  smile  broke  upon  his  fea- 
tures from  a  beaming  heart,  and  his  words  were  but  the 
natural  expression  of  healthy  thoughts. 

He  comprehended  my  desires  and  necessities  on  the  instant, 
and  seating  himself  at  his  table  he  dashed  off  some  eight  or 
ten  letters  in  about  as  many  minutes,  keeping  up  all  the  time 
a  rattling  conversation,  neither  tongue  nor  pen  hesitating  a 
moment  for  a  word ;  and  it  was  about  me,  and  my  work,  and 
California,  and  whom  I  should  see,  that  he  was  talking.  Nor 
was  this  all.  Next  morning,  in  Boston,  he  handed  me  a 
package  of  letters  addressed  to  persons  who  he  thought  would 
be  interested  in  the  work,  and  whose  names  had  occurred  to 
him  after  I  had  left. 

Later  he  writes  me :  "  Your  third  volume  has  come. 
Thanks  for  your  remembrance  of  me.  I  read  each  chapter 
with  growing  interest.  What  a  storehouse  you  provide  for 
every  form  and  department  of  history  in  time  to  come !  I  did 
you  no  justice  when  you  first  opened  your  plan  to  me.  I 
fancied  it  was  something  like  the  French  Mcmoircs pour  Sctvir. 
But  yours  is  a  history,  full  and  complete ;  every  characteris- 
tic amply  illustrated ;  every  picture  preserved ;  all  the  traits 
marshalled  with  such  skill  as  leaves  nothing  further  to  be 
desired.  Then  such  ample  disquisitions  on  kindred  topics, 
and  so  much  cross-light  thrown  on  the  picture,  you  give  us 
the  races  alive  again  and  make  our  past  real.  I  congratu- 
late you  on  the  emphatic  welcome  the  press  has  everywhere 
given  you." 

How  different  in  mind,  manner,  heart,  and  head  are  the 
men  we  meet ! 

John  G.  Whittier  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Phillips, 
and  to  him  among  others  the  latter  sent  me.  We  went  to 
Amesbury,  where  the  poet  resided,  the  day  after  meeting 
PhilHps  in  Boston.  A  frank,  warm-hearted  Quaker,  living  in 
a  plain,  old-fashioned  village  house.  He  gave  me  letters  to 
Longfellow,  Emerson,  and  Doctor  Barnard.     "  I  have  been 


174  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

SO  much  interested  in  his  vast  and  splendid  plan  of  a  his- 
tory of  the  western  slope  of  our  continent,"  he  writes  to  Mr. 
Longfellow,  "  that  I  take  pleasure  in  giving  him  a  note  to 
thee.  What  material  for  poems  will  be  gathered  up  in  his  vol- 
umes !  It  seems  to  me  one  of  the  noblest  literary  enterprises 
of  our  day." 

''  This  I  will  deliver,"  said  I,  picking  up  the  one  addressed 
to  Longfellow,  "  if  I  am  permitted  to  retain  it ;  not  otherwise. 
We  in  California  do  not  see  a  letter  from  Whittier  to  Long- 
fellow every  day."  He  laughed  and  replied :  ''  My  letters 
are  getting  to  be  common  enough  now."  I  did  not  see  Mr. 
Longfellow,  but  he  wrote  me  very  cordially,  praising  my 
book  and  regretting  he  should  have  missed  my  call. 

Informed  that  Professor  Henry  Adams,  editor  of  the  North 
American  Review,  was  staying  a  {q.-\n  miles  from  Salem,  I 
sought  him  there,  but  unsuccessfully.  Next  day  I  met  acci- 
dentally his  father,  Charles  Francis  Adams,  to  whom  I  ex- 
pressed regrets  at  not  having  seen  his  son.  He  said  he  would 
speak  to  him  for  me,  and  remarked  that  if  I  could  get  Fran- 
cis Parkman  to  review  my  book  in  the  Norih  American  it 
would  be  a  great  thing  for  it,  but  that  his  health  and  preoc- 
cupation would  probably  prevent.  He  gave  me  several  let- 
ters, and  I  left  full  copies  of  my  printed  sheets  with  him. 

I  went  to  Mr.  Parkman,  I  found  him  at  Jamaica  Plains, 
where  he  resided  during  summer,  deep  in  literary  work. 
After  all,  the  worker  is  the  man  to  take  work  to,  and  not  the 
man  of  leisure.  Mr.  Parkman  was  a  tall,  spare  man,  with  a 
smiling  face  and  winning  manner.  I  noticed  that  all  great 
men  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  were  tall  and  thin,  and  wore 
.smiling  faces,  and  indications  of  innate  gentleness  of  char- 
acter. 

"  This  shows  wonderful  research,  and  I  think  your  arrange- 
ment is  good,  but  I  should  have  to  review  it  upon  its  merits," 
said  Mr.  Parkman. 

"  As  a  matter  of  course,"  I  replied. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  competent  to  do  the  subject 
justice,"  he  now  remarked. 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  1 75 

"  I  will  trust  you  for  that,"  said  I. 

And  so  the  matter  was  left ;  and  in  due  time  several  splen- 
did reviews  appeared  in  the  North  Aincrican  as  the  different 
volumes  were  published. 

From  Doctor  Holmes  I  received  many  letters,  which 
brought  with  them  a  world  of  refreshing  encouragement.  So 
genial  and  hearty  were  his  expressions  of  praise  that  the 
manner  of  bestowal  doubled  its  value  to  me.  Few  can  ap- 
preciate the  Avorth  to  an  author  of  encouraging  words  at  such 
a  time  and  from  such  a  source.  "  The  more  I  read  in  your 
crowded  pages  the  more  I  find  to  instruct  and  entertain  me," 
he  writes.  "  I  assure  you  that  Robinson  Crusoe  never  had  a 
more  interested  reader  among  the  boys  than  I  have  been  in 
following  you  through  your  heroic  labor." 

And  later  he  writes :  "  I  have  never  thanked  you  for  the 
third  volume  of  your  monumental  work.  This  volume  can 
hardly  be  read  like  the  others ;  it  must  be  studied.  The  two 
first  were  as  captivating  as  romances,  but  this  is  as  absorb- 
ing as  a  philosophical  treatise  dealing  with  the  great  human 
problems,  for  the  reason  that  it  shows  how  human  instincts 
repeat  themselves  in  spiritual  experience  as  in  common  life. 
Your  labor  is,  I  believe,  fully  appreciated  by  the  best  judges ; 
and  you  have  done,  and  are  doing,  a  work  for  which  posterity 
will  thank  you  when  thousands  of  volumes  that  parade  them- 
selves as  the  popular  works  of  the  day  are  lost  to  human 
memory." 

I  very  much  regretted  not  seeing  Mr.  Hale,  though  I  was 
gratified  to  receive  a  letter  toward  Christmas  in  which  he 
wrote :  "  At  this  time  the  subject  has  to  me  more  interest 
than  any  other  literary  subject.  I  have  for  many  years 
intended  to  devote  my  leisure  to  an  historical  work  to  be 
entitled  The  Pacific  Ocean  and  Its  Shores.  But  I  shall  never 
write  it  unless  I  have  first  the  opportunity  of  long  and  care- 
ful study  among  your  invaluable  collection."  The  library 
was  placed  at  Mr.  Hale's  free  disposal,  as  it  was  always  open 
to  every  one,  but  the  leisure  hours  of  one  man,  though  it 
should  be  for  several  lifetimes,  I  fear  would  not  make  much 


176  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

showing  beside  the  steady  labors  of  ten  to  twenty  men  for 
years.  One  Saturday  we  went  to  Martha's  Vineyard,  where 
President  Grant  was  enjoying  the  intellectual  feasts  spread 
before  him  by  the  encamped  Methodists. 

I  had  seen  all  the  chief  literary  editors  of  Boston,  and  was 
well  enough  satisfied  with  the  results.  I  knew  by  this  time 
that  my  book  would  receive  some  good  reviews  in  that 
quarter. 

In  New  York,  a  few  days  later,  I  met  George  Bancroft  — 
to  whom,  by  the  way,  I  am  in  no  way  related  —  who  gave 
me  a  letter  to  Doctor  Draper,  and  was  kind  enough  afterward 
to  write : 

"  To  me  you  render  an  inestimable  benefit ;  for  you  bring 
within  reach  the  information  which  is  scattered  in  thousands 
of  volumes.  I  am  glad  to  see  your  work  welcomed  in  Europe 
as  well  as  in  your  own  country.  In  the  universality  of  your 
researches  you  occupy  a  field  of  the  deepest  interest  to  the 
world,  and  without  a  rival.  Press  on,  my  dear  sir,  in  your 
great  enterprise,  and  bring  it  to  a  close  in  the  meridian  of  life, 
so  that  you  may  enjoy  your  well-earned  honors  during  what 
I  hope  may  be  a  long  series  of  later  years." 

Doctor  Draper  was  a  man  well  worth  the  seeing ;  from  first 
to  last  he  proved  one  of  my  warmest  and  most  sympathizing 
friends.  After  my  return  to  San  Francisco  he  wrote  me  :  "  I 
have  received  your  long  expected  first  volume  of  the  Native 
Races  of  the  Pacific  States,  and  am  full  of  admiration  of  the 
resolute  manner  in  which  you  have  addressed  yourself  to  that 
most  laborious  task.  Many  a  time  I  have  thought  if  I  were 
thirty  years  younger  I  would  dedicate  myself  to  an  explora- 
tion of  the  political  and  psychological  ideas  of  the  aborigines 
of  this  continent;  but  you  are  doing  not  only  this,  but  a  great 
deal  more.  Your  work  has  taught  me  a  great  many  things. 
It  needs  no  praise  from  me.  It  will  be  consulted  and  read 
centuries  after  you  are  gone." 

On  Friday,  tlie  nth  of  September,  I  had  an  interview  with 
Charles  Nordhoff,  during  which  he  agreed  to  review  my  work, 
and  requested  me  to  appoint  some  day  to  spend  with  him  at 


THE    PERILS    OF   PUBLISHING.  177 

Alpine,  on  the  Hudson,  when  we  could  talk  the  matter  over. 
I  named  the  following  Thursday.  The  day  was  rainy,  but 
within  his  hospitable  doors  it  passed  delightfully.  I  had 
lately  seen  George  Ripley  of  the  Tribicne,  whom  Wendell 
Phillips  pronounced  the  first  critic  in  America,  Mr.  Godkin 
of  the  Naiio)i,  and  several  others,  who  had  given  me  encour- 
aging words,  so  that  I  felt  prepared  to  enjoy  the  day,  and 
did  most  heartily  enjoy  it. 

The  Tuesday  before  I  had  completed  arrangements  with 
D.  Appleton  and  Company  of  New  York  to  act  as  my  pub- 
lishers, upon  terms  satisfactory  enough.  I  was  to  furnish 
them  the  work  printed  and  bound  at  my  own  cost,  and  they 
were  to  account  for  the  same  at  one  half  the  retail  prices. 
The  contract  was  for  five  years. 

But  since  I  should  require  some  copies  in  San  Francisco, 
and  some  in  London,  Paris,  and  Leipsic,  I  had  concluded  to 
do  my  own  printing,  and  arrange  with  certain  pubHshers  to 
act  for  me.  Mr.  James  C.  Derby,  brother  of  the  late  George 
H.  Derby,  to  whom  I  was  indebted  for  my  initiation  into  the 
book  business,  was  then  manager  of  Appleton's  subscription 
department,  and  under  his  direction  my  book  fell.  Very 
litrie  work  was  put  upon  it,  for  the  subscription  department 
was  crowded  with  books  in  which  the  house  had  deeper 
pecuniary  interest  than  in  mine ;  yet  I  was  satisfied  with  the 
sales  and  with  the  general  management  of  the  business. 

One  of  the  first  things  to  be  done  on  my  return  to  New 
York  from  Boston  was  to  examine  the  collection  of  books  Mr. 
Bliss  had  made  while  in  Mexico  and  select  such  as  I  wanted. 
This  was  the  agreement :  I  was  to  take  every  book  which 
my  collection  lacked,  and  should  I  select  from  his  collection 
copies  of  some  books  which  were  in  mine,  such  dupHcates 
were  to  be  returned  to  him.  In  a  private  house  near  Astor 
place.  Bliss  had  taken  rooms,  and  there  he  had  his  books 
brought  and  the  cases  opened.  We  looked  at  them  all  sys- 
tematically, and  such  as  I  was  not  sure  of  possessing  were 
laid  aside.  The  result  was  an  addition  to  the  library  of 
some  four  or  five  hundred  volumes,  sent  to  San  Francisco  in 
12 


178  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

six  cases.  To  make  sure  of  these  books  I  looked  after  them 
inyself ;  I  would  not  intrust  them  to  the  care  of  any  one 
until  they  were  safely  delivered  to  the  railway  company, 
with  the  shipping  receipt  in  my  pocket. 

The  30th  of  September  saw  me  in  New  Haven,  President 
Porter  and  most  of  the  professors  had  returned.  By  this  time 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  I  was  wont  to  tell  my  story  dur- 
ing the  earlier  stages  of  my  pilgrimage  had  somewhat  waned. 
Nevertheless  I  must  make  a  few  calls.  President  Porter  I 
found  exceptionally  warm-hearted  and  sincere.  He  gave  me 
letters  of  strong  commendation  to  President  Eliot  of  Har- 
vard and  to  Robert  C.  Winthrop.  At  the  next  commence- 
ment he  likewise  enrolled  my  name  among  the  alumni  of 
Yale  as  master  of  arts. 

While  wandering  among  these  classic  halls  I  encountered 
Clarence  King,  who,  young  as  he  was,  had  acquired  a  repu- 
tation and  a  position  second  to  no  scientist  in  America.  He 
was  a  man  of  much  genius  and  rare  cultivation.  In  him 
were  united  in  an  eminent  degree  the  knowledge  acquired 
from  books,  and  that  which  comes  from  contact  with  men. 
His  shrewd  common  sense  was  only  surpassed  by  his  high 
literary  and  scientific  attainments,  and  his  broad  learning  was 
so  seasoned  with  unaffected  kindness  of  heart  and  fresh 
buoyant  good-humor  as  to  command  tlie  profound  admi- 
ration of  all  who  knew  him. 

He  was  my  ideal  of  a  scholar.  There  was  an  originality 
and  dash  about  him  which  fascinated  me.  He  could  do  so 
easily  what  I  could  not  do  at  all;  he  was  so  young,  with 
such  an  clastic,  athletic  brain,  trained  to  do  his  most  ambi- 
tious bidding,  with  such  a  well-employed  past,  a  jiroud  present, 
and  a  brilliant  future,  and  withal  such  a  modest  bearing  and 
genial  kind-heartedness,  that  I  could  not  but  envy  him.  His 
descriptions  of  scenery  are  as  fine  as  Ruskin's  and  far  more 
original. 

He  had  often  been  in  my  library,  and  meeting  me  now  at 
Yale  he  shook  my  hand  warmly  as  I  thanked  him  for  speak- 
ing so  kindly  of  me  to  Mr.  Higginson  at  Newport  a  few  days 


THE    PERILS   OF    PUBLISHING.  179 

before.  After  some  further  conversation  I  was  about  to  pass 
on  when  he  spoke  again: 

"  How  are  you  getting  along  ?  " 

"  Very  well,"  said  I ;  "  better  than  I  had  anticipated." 

"  Can  I  do  anything  for  you  ?"    he  asked. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  I  replied.  Then  suddenly  recollecting 
myself  I  exclaimed,  "  Yes,  you  can ;  review  my  book  in  some 
journal." 

"  I  will  do  so  with  pleasure,  if  I  am  competent." 

"  If  you  are  not,"  said  I,  "  with  all  your  personal  obser- 
vations upon  the  Pacific  slope,  I  may  as  well  cease  looking 
for  such  men  in  these  parts." 

"  Well,  I  will  do  my  best,"  he  replied. 

I  then  asked  him  for  what  journal  he  would  write  a  re- 
view.    He  suggested  the  North  Ajnerican  or  the  Atlantic. 

I  was  greatly  disappointed,  now  that  King  had  agreed  to 
write,  that  his  article  could  not  appear  in  the  Atlantic,  where 
were  first  pubhshed  his  matchless  chapters  on  Mountaineering 
in  the  Sierra  Nevada.  That,  however,  was  out  of  the  question, 
as  Bliss  was  engaged  for  that  article,  and  probably  had  it 
finished  by  this  time. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Howells  wrote  me :  "  I  have  not  heard  a 
word  from  Mr.  Bliss,  and  it  is  quite  too  late  to  get  anything 
about  your  book  into  the  November  number."  I  immediately 
called  on  Bliss.  He  v/as  buried  deep  in  some  new  subject. 
The  money  I  had  given  him  for  his  books  had  made  him 
comparatively  independent,  and  when  he  had  revelled  in 
reading  and  tobacco  smoke  for  a  time,  and  had  concluded 
his  literary  debauch,  there  would  be  time  enough  left  to  apply 
himself  to  the  relief  of  corporeal  necessities. 

"  Bliss,  how  progresses  that  article  for  the  Atlantic  ?  "  I 
asked  him. 

"  Finely,"  he  replied.     "  I  have  it  nearly  completed." 

"  Show  me  some  of  it,  will  you  ?  I  want  to  see  how  it 
reads." 

"  I  cannot  show  it  you  in  its  present  state,"  he  stammered, 
"  Next  time  you  come  in  you  shall  see  it." 


l8o  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

I  was  satisfied  he  had  not  touched  it,  and  I  wrote  Howells 
as  much,  at  the  same  time  mentioning  my  interview  with 
King. 

"  I  wrote  you  some  days  ago,"  Howells  replied,  under  date 
of  October  7,  1874,  "that  Mr.  Bliss  had  not  sent  me  a  re- 
view of  your  book,  after  promising  to  do  so  within  ten  days 
from  the  time  when  he  called  with  you.  So  if  Mr.  King  will 
review  it  for  me  I  shall  be  delighted."  At  the  same  time 
Howells  telegraphed  me,  "  Ask  Clarence  King  to  write  re- 
view." Again  I  sought  the  retreat  of  Bliss.  I  found  him 
still  oblivious.  The  fact  is,  I  think  my  peripatetic  friend 
trembled  somewhat  at  the  responsibility  of  his  position,  and 
he  had  betaken  himself  to  a  vigorous  literary  whistling  to 
keep  his  courage  up. 

When  once  cornered,  he  admitted  he  had  not  written  a 
word  of  the  proposed  re\aew.  I  then  told  him  of  Clarence 
King's  offer  and  Mr.  Howells'  wishes,  and  asked  him  if  he 
would  be  willing  to  give  his  review,  which  I  knew  he  would 
never  write,  to  some  other  journal.  He  cheerfully  expressed 
his  Avillingness  to  do  so,  and  congratulated  me  on  having 
secured  so  able  a  writer  as  Mr.  King.  Therein  he  acted  the 
gentleman.  The  7th  of  December  Mr.  Howells  writes  me : 
"  I've  just  read  the  proof  of  Clarence  King's  review  of  you 
for  the  Atlantic  —  twelve  pages  of  unalloyed  praise."  Con- 
cerning this  review  Mr.  King  wrote  from  Colorado  the  6th 
of  November :  "  Believe  me,  I  have  found  great  pleasure  and 
profit  in  twice  carefully  reading  the  Wild  Tribes.  Of  its 
excellence  as  a  piece  of  critical  literary  combination  I  was 
fully  persuaded  from  the  first,  but  only  on  actual  study  do  I 
reach  its  true  value.  Although  the  driest  of  the  five  volumes, 
it  is  simply  fascinating  to  the  student  who  realizes  the  vital 
value  of  savage  data.  Appreciating  and  enjoying  your  book 
as  much  as  I  do,  I  yet  find  a  difliculty  I  have  never  before 
experienced  in  attempting  to  review  it.  The  book  itself  is  a 
gigantic  review,  and  so  crammed  and  crowded  with  fact  that 
the  narrow  limits  of  an  Atlantic  review  are  insufficient  to 
even  allude  to  all  the  classes  of  fact.     To  even  intimate  the 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  l8l 

varied  class  of  material  is  impossible.  I  rather  fall  back  to 
the  plan  of  following  you  from  the  Arctic  coast  down  to 
Panama,  tracing  the  prominent  changes  and  elements  of 
development,  giving  you  of  course  full  credit  for  the  good 
judgment  and  selection  you  have  shown." 

Professor  J.  A.  Church  reviewed  the  work  in  an  able  and 
lengthy  article  in  the  Galaxy  ;  and  for  the  Nation  the  book 
was  intrusted  to  Mr.  Joseph  Anderson  of  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, a  most  able  critic. 

I  failed  to  see  Mr,  Bryant,  but  was  gratified  by  the  receipt 
of  a  letter  in  which  he  expressed  himself  in  the  following 
words :  "  I  am  amazed  at  the  extent  and  the  minuteness  of 
your  researches  into  the  history  and  customs  of  the  aboriginal 
tribes  of  western  North  America.  Your  work  mil  remain  to 
coming  ages  a  treasure-house  of  information  on  that  subject." 
The  Califomian  journals  printed  many  of  the  eastern  and  Eu- 
ropean letters  sent  me,  and  Mr.  Bryant's  commanded  their 
special  admiration,  on  account  of  its  chirography,  which  was 
beautifully  clear  and  firm  for  a  poet,  and  he  of  eighty  years. 

The  2d  of  October  I  ran  down  to  Washington  to  see  ]\Ir. 
Spofford,  librarian  of  Congress,  and  John  G.  Ames,  librarian 
and  superintendent  of  public  documents.  I  had  been  pre- 
sented with  many  of  the  government  pubhcations  for  my 
library  for  the  last  ten  years  and  had  bought  many  more. 
What  I  Avanted  now  was  to  have  all  the  congressional  docu- 
ments and  government  publications  sent  me  as  they  were 
printed.  Mr.  Ames  informed  me  that  he  could  send  certain 
books  from  his  department.  Then,  if  I  could  get  some  sena- 
tor to  put  my  name  on  his  list,  I  should  receive  every  other 
public  document  printed,  twelve  copies  of  which  were  given 
each  senator  for  distribution.  This  Mr.  Sargent  kindly  con- 
sented to  do  for  me,  and  to  him  I  am  indebted  for  constant 
favors  during  his  term  in  Washington. 

Calling  at  the  library  of  Congress,  I  was  informed  by  Mr. 
Spofiford  that  for  some  time  past  he  had  intended  to  ask  my 
permission  to  review  the  Native  Races  for  the  New  York 
Herald  in  an  article  some  four  columns  in  length.    I  assured 


l82  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

him  .that  for  so  distinguished  honor  I  should  ever  hold 
myself  his  debtor.  I  then  looked  through  a  room  crammed 
with  duplicates,  to  ascertain  if  there  were  any  books  among 
them  touching  my  subject  which  I  had  not  in  my  library. 
I  found  nothing.  The  regulations  of  the  congressional 
library  required  two  copies  of  every  book  published  in  the 
United  States  to  be  deposited  for  copyright,  and  these  two 
copies  must  always  be  kept.  Any  surplus  above  the  two 
copies  were  called  dupHcates,  and  might  be  exchanged  for 
other  books. 

Early  in  the  writing  of  the  Native  Races  I  had  felt  the 
need  of  access  to  certain  important  works  existing  only  in 
manuscript.  These  were  the  Historia  Apologctica  and  Historia 
General  of  Las  Casas,  not  then  printed,  the  Historia  Afitigua 
de  Niieva  Espaiia  of  Father  Duran,  and  others.  These 
manuscripts  were  nowhere  for  sale ;  but  few  copies  were  in 
existence,  and  besides  those  in  the  library  of  Congress  I  knew 
of  none  in  the  United  States.  I  saw  no  other  way  than  to 
have  such  works  as  seemed  necessary  to  me  copied  in  whole 
or  in  part,  and  this  I  accomplished  by  the  aid  of  copyists 
through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Spofford.  The  labor  was  tedious 
and  expensive,  but  I  could  not  go  forward  with  my  writing 
and  feel  that  fresh  material  existed  which  I  had  the  money 
to  procure. 

Several  months  previous  to  my  journey  to  Washington  Mr. 
H.  R.  Coleman,  who  had  long  been  in  the  employ  of  our 
firm,  and  who  in  the  spring  of  1874,  while  on  a  visit  to  the 
east,  had  kindly  consented  to  attend  to  some  business  for  me, 
had  been  at  the  capital  with  letters  of  introduction  to  senators 
and  others,  and  had  secured  me  many  advantages. 

From  Philadelphia,  under  date  of  the  24th  of  April,  Mr. 
Coleman  made  a  full  report.  His  mission  was  to  examine 
the  works  in  the  congressional  library  touching  the  Pacific 
coast  and  ascertain  what  material  was  there  that  was  not  in 
my  collection.  Then  he  must  set  men  at  work  extracting 
certain  matter  whicli  was  described  to  him,  and  finally  secure 
all  llie  i>ublic  documents  possible  for  the  library.     I  need 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  183 

only  say  that  all  this  was  accomplished  by  him  to  my  entire 
satisfaction.  Senator  Sargent  rendered  Mr.  Coleman  most 
valuable  assistance,  helping  him  to  several  hundred  volumes 
of  books.  The  difficulty  in  collecting  government  documents 
lies  not  in  obtaining  current  pubHcations  but  in  gathering 
the  old  volumes,  since  few  of  the  many  departments  retain 
in  their  offices  back  volumes.  My  agents  and  I  have  visited 
Washington  many  times  on  these  missions. 

Before  leaving  San  Francisco  I  had  placed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Native  Races  in  London  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Ellis  Read,  who  represented  in  San  Francisco  certain  Scotch 
and  English  firms.  Mr.  Read's  London  agent  was  Mr.  John 
Brown  of  Woodford,  Essex,  an  intelligent  and  wealthy  gen- 
tleman, who  from  the  first  took  a  warm  interest  in  the  work. 
After  consultation  with  a  literary  friend  the  pubHcation  of  the 
book  was  offered  to  Messrs.  Longmans  and  Company  of 
Paternoster  Row,  and  accepted  on  their  usual  terais :  namely, 
ten  per  cent,  commissions  on  trade  sale  price,  I  to  furnish 
them  the  printed  copies  unbound,  with  twenty-five  copies  for 
editors.  A  cable  despatch  from  Mr.  Brown  to  Mr.  Read  in 
San  Francisco  was  forwarded  to  me  at  New  York,  and  con- 
veyed the  welcome  intelligence — welcome  because  pubhshers 
so  unexceptionable  had  undertaken  the  publication  of  my 
book  on  terms  so  favorable. 

Longmans  advised  Brown  to  spend  thirty  pounds  in  adver- 
tising, and  if  the  book  was  well  received  by  the  press  to  add 
twenty  to  it,  and  suggested  that  fifty  pounds  should  be  de- 
posited with  him  for  that  purpose.  Expenses  in  London  were 
coming  on  apace;  so  that  almost  simultaneously  with  the  news 
that  the  Messrs.  Longmans  were  my  publishers,  appeared  a 
request  from  Mr.  Brown  for  one  hundred  pounds.  I  Avas  in 
New  York  at  the  time,  and  not  in  the  best  of  spirits,  and  since 
I  must  bear  all  the  expense  of  publication,  and  furnish  the 
pubhshers  the  book  already  printed,  the  further  demand  of 
five  hundred  dollars  for  expenses,  which  one  would  think  the 
book  should  pay  if  it  were  worth  the  publicntion,  appeared  to 
me  somewhat  unreasonable. 


184  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Nevertheless,  I  sent  the  money.  I  was  resolved  that  noth- 
ing within  my  power  to  remove  should  stand  in  the  way  of  a 
success.  Again  and  again  have  I  plunged  recklessly  forward 
in  my  undertakings  regardless  of  consequences,  performing 
work  which  never  would  be  known  or  appreciated,  and  but 
for  the  habit  of  thoroughness  which  had  by  this  time  become 
a  part  of  my  nature,  might  as  well  never  have  been  done, 
spending  time  and  paying  out  money  with  a  dogged  deter- 
mination to  continue  spending  as  long  as  time  or  money 
lasted,  whether  I  could  see  the  end  or  not.  After  all,  the 
business  in  London  was  v/ell  and  economically  managed.  It 
would  have  cost  me  five  times  as  much  had  I  gone  there  and 
attended  to  it  myself,  and  then  it  would  have  been  no  better 
done.  I  was  specially  desirous  my  work  should  be  brought 
to  the  attention  of  English  scholars  and  reviewers.  I  ex- 
plained to  Mr.  Brown  what  I  had  done  and  was  doing  in 
America,  and  suggested  he  should  adopt  some  such  course 
there.  And  I  must  say  he  entered  upon  the  task  with  en- 
thusiasm and  performed  it  well. 

Mr.  Brown  thought  the  London  edition  should  be  dedi- 
cated to  some  Englishman  prominent  in  science  or  letters. 
I  had  no  objections,  though  it  was  a  point  which  never 
would  have  occurred  to  me.  But  it  has  always  been  my 
custom  to  yield  to  every  intelligent  suggestion,  prompted 
by  the  enthusiasm  of  an  agent  or  assistant,  provided  his 
way  of  doing  a  thing  was  in  my  opinion  no  worse  than 
my  way. 

Mr.  Brown  suggested  the  name  of  Sir  John  Lubbock,  and 
sent  me  a  printed  page :  "  I  dedicate  this  work  to  Sir  John 
Lubbock,  Bart.,  M.  P.,  F.  R.  S.,  as  a  tribute  of  my  high 
esteem."  In  this  I  acquiesced,  and  so  the  dedication  was 
made,  and  gracefully  acknowledged  by  Sir  John.  To  Mr. 
Brown  I  had  sent  from  San  Francisco  copies  of  volume  i., 
with  letters  enclosed,  to  about  a  dozen  prominent  men  in 
P^ngland,  among  them  Herbert  Spencer,  Sir  Arthur  Helps, 
E.  B.  Tylor,  R.  G.  Latham,  Tyndall,  Huxley,  Max  Miillcr, 
Lccky,    Carlyle,    and    Murchison.      The   acknowledgments 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  185 

made  by  all  these  gentlemen,  received  of  course  after  my 
return  to  San  Francisco,  were  hearty  and  free. 

Mr.  Herbert  Spencer  writes  me :  "  In  less  than  a  year  I 
hope  to  send  you  the  first  volume  of  the  Principles  of  Soci- 
ology, in  which  you  will  see  that  I  have  made  frequent  and 
important  uses  of  your  book ;  "  and  indeed  nothing  could  be 
more  flattering  than  the  references  therein  made  to  the  Native 
Races.  "  During  my  summer  trip  in  Europe,"  says  Mr.  Gil- 
man  in  a  letter  from  Baltimore,  "  I  have  frequently  heard 
your  great  work  spoken  of,  but  nowhere  with  more  commen- 
dation than  I  heard  from  Herbert  Spencer.  I  am  sure  you 
must  be  more  than  paid  for  your  labor  by  the  wide-spread 
satisfaction  it  has  given." 

Doctor  Latham,  the  eminent  ethnologist  and  linguist, 
writes :  "  The  first  thing  I  did  after  reading  it  with  pleasure 
and  profit —  for  I  can't  say  how  highly  I  value  it — was  to 
indite  a  review  of  it  for  the  Examiner^  I  was  greatly 
pleased  with  Mr.  W.  E.  H.  Lecky's  letters,  regarding  him, 
as  I  did,  as  one  of  the  purest  writers  of  English  living.  "  I 
rejoice  to  see  the  book  advancing  so  rapidly  to  its  comple- 
tion," he  says,  "  for  I  had  much  feared  that,  like  Buckle's 
history,  it  was  projected  on  a  scale  too  gigantic  for  any  single 
individual  to  accomphsh.  It  will  be  a  noble  monument  of 
American  energy,  as  well  as  of  American  genius." 

I  well  remember  with  what  trepidation  I  had  thought  of 
addressing  these  great  men  before  I  began  to  publish.  I 
wondered  if  they  would  even  answer  my  letters ;  then  I  took 
heart  and  said,  I  know  these  facts  of  mine  are  valuable  to 
men  of  science,  and  in  the  form  I  present  it  this  material, 
well  winnowed  as  it  has  been,  is  in  a  shape  far  more  accessi- 
ble than  it  could  have  been  before. 

Of  the  newspapers  and  magazines  containing  the  best 
reviews  and  descriptions  of  the  library,  Mr.  Brown  purchased 
from  fifty  to  five  hundred  copies,  and  distributed  them  among 
the  libraries,  journalists,  and  literary  men  of  the  world.  Not 
having  a  proper  list  of  selected  newspapers  and  of  the 
Ubrarians  in  Europe  and  America,  I  employed  the  mercantile 


1 86  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

and  statistical  agency  association  of  New  York  to  prepare 
me  such  a  list,  writing  them  in  two  blank-books.  There 
were  eight  hundred  and  twenty  European,  Asiatic,  and 
colonial  libraries  written  in  one  book,  and  the  European  and 
American  newspapers  and  United  States  libraries  in  the 
other. 

It  was  through  Mr.  Edward  Jackson,  correspondent  in 
San  Francisco  of  the  London  Times,  that  the  Native  Races 
was  first  brought  to  the  notice  of  that  journal.  Mr.  Jackson 
could  not  assure  me  positively  that  the  review  would  appear. 
Mr.  Walter,  the  editor,  would  not  enlighten  Mr.  Jackson  on 
the  subject.  I  wished  to  purchase  four  hundred  copies  of 
the  issue  containing  the  notice  of  the  Native  Races,  provided 
there  should  be  such  an  issue.  And  in  this  way  I  was  obliged 
to  give  my  order  to  Mr.  Brown. 

From  London  the  3d  of  April,  1875,  Mr.  Brown  writes: 
"  At  last  the  Tii7ies  has  spoken,  and  I  have  succeeded  in  se- 
curing four  hundred  copies  of  the  paper  by  dint  of  close 
watching.  When  I  saw  the  publishers  some  time  ago,  with 
the  usual  independence  of  the  Times  they  would  not  take  an 
order  for  the  paper,  or  even  the  money  for  four  hundred  cop- 
ies to  be  struck  off  for  me  when  a  review  did  appear,  and  all 
I  could  get  was  this, —  that  on  the  day  a  review  appeared, 
should  a  review  appear  at  all,  if  I  sent  down  to  the  office 
before  1 1  a.  m.  they  would  strike  off  what  I  wanted.  So  I 
kept  a  person  watching — as  I  was  sometimes  late  in  going  to 
town  —  with  money  for  the  review,  and  he  luckily  saw  it  in 
the  morning,  rushed  down  to  the  office,  and,  he  tells  me,  in 
less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  extra  four  hundred  copies 
were  struck  off  and  made  over  to  him.  The  copies  are  now 
being  posted  according  to  the  addresses  you  sent  me." 

In  October,  1874,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Kolnische  Zei- 
tung  was  in  San  Francisco  and  visited  the  library  frequently. 
He  wrote  for  his  paper  a  description  of  the  library  and  the 
Native  Races,  besides  giving  me  a  list  of  the  German  mag- 
azines and  reviews  to  which  the  book  should  be  sent,  and 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  187 

much  Other  valuable  information.  Dr.  Karl  Andree  of  the 
Globus,  Dresden,  spoke  very  kindly  of  the  work,  and  inserted 
several  articles  concerning  it  in  that  most  valuable  and  influ- 
ential journal. 

In  September,  1875,  the  eminent  English  scholar,  W.  Boyd 
Dawkins,  called  at  the  library,  giving  me  great  pleasure  in 
his  visit,  and  from  him,  a  few  months  later,  I  received  a  letter 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract :  "  Your  v/onderful 
book  on  the  native  races  of  the  Pacific  States,"  he  writes 
from  Owens  College,  Manchester,  "has  been  handed  to  me 
for  review  in  the  Edinburgh,  and  before  I  review  it  I  should 
be  very  much  obliged  if  you  could  give  me  infonnation  as  to 
the  following  details :  You  v/ill  perhaps  have  forgotten  the 
wandering  Englishman  who  called  on  you  at  the  end  of  last 
September,  and  who  had  just  a  hurried  glance  at  your  library. 
Then  I  had  no  time  to  carry  away  anything  but  a  mere 
general  impression,  which  has  haunted  me  ever  since.  And 
strangely  enough  your  books  awaited  my  return  home.  I 
want  details  as  to  your  mode  of  indexing.  How  many  clerks 
do  you  employ  on  the  work,  and  what  sort  of  index  cards  ? 
You  shewed  all  this  to  me,  but  I  did  not  take  down  any  fig- 
ures.    Your  system  seems  to  me  wholly  new." 

"  Pray  accept  my  heartiest  thanks,"  writes  Edward  B. 
Tylor,  the  25th  of  February,  1875,  "for  your  gift  of  the  first 
volume  of  your  great  work.  I  need  not  trouble  you  with 
compliments,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that  you  will  find  in  a  few 
months'  time  that  the  book  has  received  more  substantial 
testimony  to  its  value  in  the  high  appreciation  of  all  European 
ethnologists.  I  am  writing  a  slight  notice  for  the  Academy, 
particularly  to  express  a  hope  that  your  succeeding  volumes 
may  throw  light  on  the  half-forgotten  problem  of  Mexican 
civilization,  which  has  made  hardly  any  progress  since  Hum- 
boldt's time.  Surely  the  Old  and  New  Worlds  ought  to  join 
in  working  out  the  question  whether  they  had  been  in  con- 
tact, in  this  district,  before  Columbus's  time ;  and  I  really 
believe  that  you  may,  at  this  moment,  have  the  materials  in 
your  hands  to  bring  the  problem  on  to  a  new  stage.     May  I 


1 88  LITERARY"  INDUSTRIES. 

conclude  by  asking  you,  as  an  ethnologist,  not  to  adhere  too 
closely  to  your  intention  of  not  theorizing,  while  there  are 
subjects  on  which  you  evidently  have  the  means  of  forming 
a  theory  more  exactly  and  plentifully  in  your  hands  than  any 
other  anthropologist." 

Before  making  arrangements  with  Messrs.  Longmans  I 
had  said  nothing  about  a  publisher  for  the  Native  Races  in 
France  and  Germany.  I  now  requested  Mr.  Brown  to  ask 
those  gentlemen  if  they  had  any  objections  to  a  French  or 
German  edition,  and  hearing  that  they  had  not,  I  made  pro- 
posals to  Maisonneuve  et  C''^,  Paris,  and  F.  A.  Brockhaus, 
to  act  for  me,  which  were  accepted,  and  copies  of  the  volumes 
were  sent  them.  All  the  European  publishers  were  anxious 
to  have  their  copies  in  advance,  so  as  to  publish  simultane- 
ously; particularly  were  they  desirous  of  bringing  out  the 
book  at  least  on  the  very  day  it  was  issued  in  New  York. 

On  accepting  the  publication  of  the  Native  Races  for 
France,  Messrs.  Maisonneuve  et  C'''  promised  to  announce 
the  work  with  great  care  in  the  bibliographical  journals  of 
France  and  elsewhere,  deliver  copies  to  the  principal  reviews, 
and  use  every  exertion  in  their  power  to  extend  its  influence. 
Lucien  Adam  of  the  Congres  International  des  Americanistes 
reviewed  the  volumes  in  the  Revue  Litteraire  et  Politique,  and 
kindly>caused  to  be  inserted  in  the  Revue  Britannique  of  M. 
Picot  a  translation  of  Mr.  Parkman's  review  in  the  North 
American.  An  able  article  of  twenty-five  pages  from  the  pen 
of  H,  Blerzy  appeared  in  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes  of  the 
15th  of  May,  1876.  Extended  reviews  Hkewise  appeared  in 
Le  Temps,  La  Rcpublique  Fran^aise,  and  other  French  jour- 
nals. Mr.  Brockhaus,  the  German  publisher,  took  an  unusual 
interest  in  the  book,  pronouncing  it  from  the  first  a  work  of 
no  ordinary  importance. 

I  cannot  enter  more  fully  into  the  detail  of  reviewers  and 
reviews ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  two  large  quarto  scrap-books 
were  filled  to  overflowing  with  such  notices  of  the  Native 
Races  as  were  sent  me.  Never  perhaps  was  a  book  so 
generally  and  so  favorably  reviewed  by  the  best  journals  in 


THE   PERILS    OF   PUBLISHING.  189 

Europe  and  America.  Among  the  reviews  of  which  I  was 
most  proud  were  two  coUimns  in  the  London  Times,  some 
thirty  or  forty  pages  in  the  JVestmiiister  Revietu,  two  columns 
in  the  London  Standard ;  lengthy  articles  in  the  North  Amer- 
ican Review,  the  New  York  BEco  d' Italia,  Hartford  Courant, 
Boston  Post,  Advertiser,  and  Journal;  Springfield  Republican, 
New  York  TrihuJic,  Christian  Ujtion,  Nation,  an6.  Post ;  British 
Quarterly,  Edinburgh  Revieiu,  London  Nature,  Saturday  Re- 
view, Spectator,  Academy ;  Philadelphia  North  American,  At- 
lantic Monthly,  Scribner's  Magazine,  The  Galaxy;  Revue 
Politique,  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  Hongkong  lYess;  Zeit- 
schrift  fi'ir  Lander,  Mittheilungender  Kais.,  etc.,  Europa  und 
das  Ausland,  Gennany ;  and  La  Voz  del  Nuevo  Mundo.  I 
might  mention  a  hundred  others,  but  if  I  did  all  would  not  be 
unadulterated  praise.  Honors  fell  upon  me  after  publication, 
such  as  being  made  honorary  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  the 
Philadelphia  Numismatic  Society,  and  the  Buffalo  Historical 
Society,  for  which  due  thanks  were  given.  Flattering  recog- 
nitions came  also  in  form  of  diplomas  and  complimentary 
certificates. 

It  v/as  a  subject  in  which  all  were  interested.  The  study 
of  society  v,-as  the  new  and  most  attractive  study  of  the  age. 
Everything  relating  to  man,  his  habitation  and  his  habits,  his 
idiosyncrasies  and  his  peculiarities,  national,  social,  and  in- 
dividual, all  taught  a  lesson.  The  sage  sat  at  the  feet  of  the 
savage,  and  there  studied  man  as  he  is  in  a  state  of  nature, 
before  he  is  disguised  by  the  crusts  and  coverings  of  society. 
"  I  could  wish  that  the  whole  five  volumes  were  already 
available,"  writes  Herbert  Spencer  to  me  in  February,  1875, 
"  and  had  been  so  for  some  time  past ;  for  the  tabular  state- 
ments and  extracts  made  for  the  Descriptive  Sociology  by 
Professor  Duncan  would  have  been  more  complete  than  at 
present." 

Among  my  warmest  friends  was  Charles  C.  Jones,  Jr.,  of 
New  York,  who  reviewed  the  Native  Races  in  the  Independent, 
devoting  several  articles  to  each  volume.     These  articles, 


IQO  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

besides  being  critical  reviews,  were  analytical  and  descriptive 
essays,  dividing  and  taking  up  the  subject-matter  of  each 
volume,  with  a  view  of  popularizing  the  theme.  Mr.  Jones 
was  fully  imbued  with  the  subject,  and  his  articles  were  very 
interesting.  To  me  he  writes  ;  "  Your  fifth  volume,  ex  dono 
auctoris,  reached  me  to-day.  Fresh  from  the  perusal  of  its 
charming  pages,  I  offer  you  my  sincere  congratulations  upon 
the  completion  of  your  magnum  opus.  Great  have  been  the 
pleasure  and  profit  which  I  have  experienced  in  the  perusal 
of  the  volumes  as  they  have  been  given  to  the  public."  The 
attention  of  the  American  Ethnological  Society  was  like- 
wise drawn  to  the  work  by  Mr.  Jones,  and  the  author  was 
promptly  made  an  honorary  member  of  that  body,  with  the 
resolution  *'  that  the  volumes  which  have  already  appeared 
indicate  patient  study,  careful  discrimination,  and  exhaustive 
research,  and  constitute  a  monument  of  industry  and  merit 
alike  honorable  to  their  author  and  creditable  to  the  literary 
effort  of  our  country." 

Thus  each  great  scholar  found  in  the  work  that  which  ^vas 
new  and  interesting  to  him  in  his  special  investigations,  what- 
ever those  might  have  been,  while  the  attention  of  the  general 
reader  was  attracted  by  a  variety  of  topics.  In  another  respect 
the  subject  was  a  most  happy  choice  for  me.  While  it  attracted 
much  more  attention  than  pure  history  would  have  done,  its 
imperfections  of  substance,  style,  and  arrangement  were  much 
more  readily  overlooked.  In  precise  history  critics  might  have 
looked  for  more  philosophy,  more  learning,  and  more  dignity 
of  style.  All  I  claimed  in  the  premises  was  faithfully  to  have 
gathered  my  facts,  to  have  arranged  them  in  a  natural  manner, 
and  to  have  expressed  them  in  the  clearest  language  at  my 
command.  Where  so  few  pretensions  were  made  reviewers 
found  little  room  for  censure. 

Thus  it  was  that  I  began  to  see  m  my  work  a  success 
exceeding  my  highest  anticipations.  And  a  first  success  in 
literature  under  ordinary  circumstances  is  a  most  fortunate 
occurrence.     To  me  it  was  everything.     I  hardly  think  that 


THE    PERILS    OF    PUBLISHING.  I91 

failure  would  have  driven  me  from  my  purpose ;  but  I  needed 
more  than  dogged  persistency  to  carry  me  through  herculean 
undertakings.  I  needed  confidence  in  my  abilities,  assurance, 
sympathy,  and  above  all  enthusiasm.  I  felt  with  Lov/ell,  that 
"  solid  success  must  be  based  on  solid  qualities  and  the  honest 
culture  of  them," 

Then  again  to  accomplish  my  further  purpose,  which  was 
to  do  important  historical  work,  it  seemed  necessary  for  me 
to  know  wherein  I  had  erred  and  wherein  I  had  done  well. 
From  the  first,  success  fell  upon  me  like  refreshing  showers, 
invigorating  all  my  subsequent  efforts.  To  the  stream  of 
knowledge  which  I  had  set  flowing  through  divers  retorts 
and  condensers  from  my  accumulations  to  the  clearly  printed 
page,  I  might  now  confidently  apply  all  my  powers.  As  the 
king  of  the  Golden  River  told  Gluck,  in  Ruskin's  beautiful 
story,  whoever  should  cast  into  the  stream  three  drops  of 
holy  water,  for  him  the  waters  of  the  river  should  turn  into 
gold ;  but  any  one  failing  in  the  first  attempt  should  not  suc- 
ceed in  a  second;  and  whoso  cast  in  other  than  holy  water 
should  become  a  black  stone.  Thus  sparkled  my  work  in  the 
sunshine  of  its  success,  and  the  author,  so  far  as  he  was  told, 
was  not  yet  a  black  stone. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

THE   TWO   GENERALS. 

Ever  since  there  has  been  so  great  a  demand  for  type,  there  has  l)een 
much  less  lead  to  spare  for  cannon-balls. — Biikuer. 

CAME  to  the  library  the  21st  of  October,  1873,  Enrique 
Cerruti,  an  Itahan,  introduced  by  PhiHp  A.  Roach,  editor 
and  senator,  in  the  terms  following:  "He  speaks  Italian, 
French,  Spanish,  and  English.  He  can  translate  Latin.  He 
has  been  a  consul-general  and  secretary  of  legation.  He  is 
well  acquainted  with  Spanish- American  affairs  and  the  lead- 
ing men  in  those  states." 

Although  neither  in  his  person,  nor  in  his  history,  did  the 
applicant  impress  me  as  one  specially  adapted  to  literary 
labors,  yet  I  had  long  since  learned  that  superficial  judg- 
ments as  to  character  and  ability,  particularly  when  applied 
to  wanderers  of  the  Latin  race,  were  ai:»t  to  prove  erroneous. 
Further  than  this,  while  not  specially  attractive,  there  was 
something  winning  about  him,  though  I  scarcely  could  tell 
what  it  was.     At  all  events  he  secured  the  place  he  sought. 

Turning  him  over  to  Mr.  Oak,  for  the  next  three  or  four 
months  I  scarcely  gave  him  a  thought.  He  attempted  at 
first  to  extract  notes  for  the  Native  Races,  devoting  his  even- 
ings to  filing  Pacific  coast  journals,  recording  the  numbers 
received,  and  placing  them  in  their  proper  places  on  the 
shelves.  He  was  not  specially  successful  in  abstracting 
material,  or  in  any  kind  of  purely  literary  work ;  the  news- 
papers he  kept  in  good  order,  and  he  could  write  rapidly 
from  dictation  either  in  Spanish  or  English, 

Quickly  catching  the  drift  of  things,  he  saw  that  first  of  all 
I  desired  historical  material ;  and  what  next  specially  drew 


THE   TWO    GENERALS.  1 93 

my  attention  to  him  was  his  coming  to  me  occasionally  with 
something  he  had  secured  from  an  unexpected  source.  When 
the  time  came  for  my  book  to  be  noticed  by  the  press  he 
used  to  write  frequent  and  long  articles  for  the  Spanish, 
French,  and  Italian  journals  in  San  Francisco,  New  York, 
Mexico,  France,  Spain,  and  Italy.  I  know  of  no  instance 
where  one  of  his  many  articles  of  that  kind  was  declined.  He 
had  a  way  of  his  own  of  making  editors  do  about  as  he 
desired  in  this  respect. 

Gradually  I  became  interested  in  this  man,  and  I  saw  him 
interest  himself  more  and  more  in  my  behalf;  and  with  time 
this  interest  deepened  into  regard,  until  finally  I  became 
strongly  attached  to  him.  This  attachment  was  based  on  his 
inherent  honesty,  devotion,  and  kindness  of  heart,  though  on 
the  surface  was  too  much  of  display. 

He  was  a  natural  adept  in  certain  subtleties  which,  had  his 
eye  been  evil,  would  have  made  him  a  first-class  villain ;  but 
with  all  his  innocent  artifices,  and  the  rare  skill  and  delicate 
touch  employed  in  playing  upon  human  weaknesses,  he  was 
on  the  whole  a  well-meaning  man.  I  used  to  fancy  I  despised 
flattery,  but  I  confess  I  enjoyed  not  more  Nemos's  caustic 
criticisms  than  Cerruti's  oily  unctions,  which  were  laid  on  so 
gracefully,  so  tenderly,  so  liberally,  and  with  the  air  of  one 
to  whom  it  made  little  difference  whether  you  believed  him 
in  earnest  or  not ;  for  he  well  knew  that  I  understood  him 
thoroughly,  and  accepted  his  compliments  at  their  value. 
Finally,  he  came  to  be  regarded  a  privileged  character  among 
those  who  knew  him,  liberty  being  given  him  to  talk  as  he 
pleased,  his  aberrations  of  speech  being  charged  to  his  genius 
and  not  to  deliberate  intention. 

At  first  the  young  men  in  the  library  used  to  laugh  at  him ; 
but  I  pointed  to  the  signal  results  which  he  was  achieving, 
and  even  should  he  prove  in  the  end  knave  or  fool,  success 
was  always  a  convincing  argument.  A  habit  of  talking  loud 
and  grandiloquently,  especially  among  strangers,  made  Oak 
fearful  that  Cerruti,  while  making  an  ass  of  himself,  would 

13 


194  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

bring  us  all  into  ridicule  among  sensible  men.  But,  said  I, 
no  sensible  man  brings  us  the  material  that  he  brings. 

He  did  what  no  one  else  connected  with  the  work  could 
do,  what  but  for  him  never  would  have  been  done.  He  had 
not  the  scope  and  comprehensiveness,  or  the  literary  culture, 
or  the  graceful  style,  or  steady  application,  or  erudition  to 
achieve  for  himself.  But  he  had  what  all  of  them  together 
could  not  command :  power  over  the  minds  of  men,  consum- 
mate skill  in  touching  the  springs  of  human  action  and  in 
making  them  serve  his  purpose. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  he  could  not  write,  and  in  the 
Latin  languages  write  eloquently ;  the  many  manuscript  vol- 
umes of  history  and  narrative  Avhich  have  emanated  from  his 
pen  under  the  dictation  of  eminent  Califomians  and  others 
prove  the  contrary.  His  chief  talent,  however,  lay  in  awaken- 
ing an  interest  in  my  labors. 

But  how  was  this  necessary  ?  What  need  of  special  efforts 
to  make  proselytes  to  a  cause  so  palpably  important ;  a  cause 
neither  asking  nor  accepting  subsidy  nor  pecuniary  aid  from 
state,  society,  or  individual ;  a  cause  absolutely  private  and 
independent,  and  having  no  other  object  in  view  than  pure 
investigation  and  an  unbiassed  recording  of  the  truth  ?  Surely, 
one  would  think,  such  an  enterprise  would  not  require  an 
effort  to  make  men  believe  in  it. 

Nevertheless  it  did.  There  were  mercenary  minds,  who 
could  see  nothing  but  money  in  it,  who  having  documents 
or  knowledge  of  historical  events  would  not  part  with  their 
information  but  for  a  price.  "  Ah  !  "  said  they,  "  this  man 
knows  what  he  is  about.  He  is  not  fool  enough  to  spend 
time  and  money  without  prospective  return.  He  is  a  book 
man,  and  all  this  is  but  a  dodge  to  make  at  once  money  and 
reputation.  No  man  in  this  country  does  something  for 
nothing.  No  man  pours  out  his  money  and  works  like  a 
slave  except  in  the  expectation  that  it  will  come  back  to  him 
with  interest.  He  may  say  he  is  not  working  for  money,  but 
we  do  not  believe  it."  Others,  although  their  judgment  told 
them  that  by  no  possibility  could  the  outlay  be  remunerative, 


THE   TWO    GENERALS.  1 95 

and  that  my  experience  in  book-publishing  was  such  that  I 
could  not  but  know  it,  yet  thought,  in  view  of  the  interest  I 
took  in  the  subject,  and  the  money  I  was  spending,  in  every 
direction,  in  the  accumulation  of  material,  that  I  might  per- 
haps be  induced  to  pay  them  for  their  information  rather 
than  do  without  it.  No  man  of  common-sense  or  of  common 
patriotism  thought  or  talked  thus ;  but  I  had  to  do  with  indi- 
viduals possessed  of  neither  sense  nor  patriotism. 

Another  class,  a  large  and  highly  respectable  one,  was 
composed  of  men  who  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  had  been 
importuned  time  and  again  by  multitudes  of  petty  scribblers, 
newspaper  interviewers,  and  quasi  historians,  for  items  of 
their  early  experience,  until  they  tired  of  it.  So  that  when  a 
new  applicant  for  information  appeared  they  were  naturally 
and  justly  suspicious;  but  when  they  came  to  know  the 
character  of  the  work  proposed,  and  were  satisfied  that  it 
would  be  fairly  and  thoroughly  done,  they  were  ready  with 
all  their  powers  and  possessions  to  assist  the  undertaking. 

In  some  instances,  however,  it  required  diplomacy  of  a  no 
mean  order  to  convince  men  that  there  was  no  hidden  or 
ulterior  object  in  thus  gathering  and  recording  their  own 
deeds  and  the  deeds  of  their  ancestors.  The  Hispano-Cali- 
fornians  particularly,  many  of  them,  had  been  so  abused,  so 
swindled,  so  robbed  by  their  pretended  friends,  by  unprinci- 
pled Yankee  lawyers  and  scheming  adventurers,  that  they  did 
not  know  whom  to  trust,  and  were  suspicious  of  everybody. 
Often  had  letters  and  other  papers  been  taken  from  their  pos- 
session and  used  against  them  in  court  to  prove  the  title  to 
their  lands  defective,  or  for  other  detrimental  purpose.  Then 
there  were  individual  and  local  jealousies  to  be  combated. 
One  feared  undue  censure  of  himself  and  undue  praise  of  his 
enemy ;  one  family  feared  that  too  much  prominence  would 
be  given  another  family.  Then  there  were  rival  authors, 
who  had  collected  little  batches  of  material  with  a  view 
to  writing  the  history  of  California  themselves.  All  these 
had  to  be  won  over  and  be  made  to  see  the  great  advan- 
tage to  the  present  and  to  future  generations  of  having  all 


196  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

these  scattered  chapters  of  history  brought  into  one  grand 
whole. 

To  accomphsh  something  of  this  was  the  work  of  General 
Cerruti.  Chameleon-like  he  would  shift  his  opinions  accord- 
ing to  the  company,  and  adapt  his  complex  nature  to  the 
colors  of  time  and  place ;  with  the  serious  he  could  be  grave, 
with  the  young  merry,  and  with  the  profligate  free.  With 
equal  grace  he  could  stimulate  virtue  or  wink  at  vice.  Hence, 
like  Catiline  planning  his  conspiracy,  he  made  himself  a 
favorite  equally  with  the  best  men  and  the  basest. 

Another  general :  though  likewise  of  the  Latin  race,  yet 
broader  in  intellect,  of  deeper  endowment,  and  gentler  sagacity. 
Among  the  Hispano-Californians,  Mariano  de  Guadalupe 
Vallejo  deservedly  stands  first.  Bom  at  Monterey  the  7th  of 
July,  1808,  of  prominent  Castilian  parentage,  twenty-one 
years  were  spent  in  his  rehgious,  civil,  and  military  training ; 
after  which  he  took  his  position  at  San  Francisco  as  coman- 
dante  of  the  presidio,  collector,  and  alcalde.  In  1835  he 
established  the  first  ayimtamienio,  or  town  council,  at  Yerba 
Buena  cove,  where  was  begun  the  metropolis  of  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  the  same  year  he  colonized  Sonoma,  situated  at  the 
northern  extremity  of  San  Francisco  bay,  which  ever  after 
was  his  home. 

While  Vallejo  was  general,  his  nephew  Alvarado  was 
governor.  In  their  early  education  and  subsequent  studies, 
for  citizens  of  so  isolated  a  country  as  California  then  was, 
these  two  hijos  del  pais  enjoyed  unusual  advantages.  To 
begin  with,  their  minds  were  for  above  the  average  of  those 
of  any  country.  Alvarado  might  have  taken  his  place  beside 
eminent  statesmen  in  a  world's  congress ;  and  as  for  literary 
ability,  one  has  but  to  peruse  their  histories  respectively,  to 
be  impressed  with  their  mental  scope  and  charm  of  style. 

As  a  mark  of  his  intellectual  tastes  and  practical  wisdom, 
while  yet  quite  young,  Vallejo  gathered  a  library  of  no  mean 
pretensions,  consisting  not  alone  of  religious  books,  which 
were  the  only  kind  at  that  time  regarded  with  any  degree  of 


THE   TWO    GENERALS.  197 

favor  by  the  clergy  of  California,  but  liberally  interspersed 
with  works  on  general  knowledge,  history,  science,  juris- 
prudence, and  state-craft.  These  he  kept  under  lock,  ad- 
mitting none  to  his  rich  feast  save  his  nephew  Alvarado. 

General  Vallejo  was  a  man  of  fine  physique,  rather  above 
medium  height,  portly  but  straight  as  an  arroAv,  with  a  large 
round  head,  high  forehead,  half-closed  eyes,  thin  black  hair, 
and  side-whiskers.  Every  motion  betrayed  the  military 
man  and  the  gentleman.  His  face  wore  usually  a  contented 
and  often  jovial  expression,  but  the  frequent  short,  quick  sigh 
told  of  unsatisfied  longings,  of  vain  regrets  and  lacerated 
ambitions. 

And  no  wonder,  for  within  the  period  of  his  manhood  he 
had  seen  California  emerge  from  a  quiet  wilderness  and 
become  the  haunt  of  embroiling  civilization.  He  had  seen 
rise  from  the  bleak  and  shifting  sand-dunes  of  Yerba  Buena 
cove  a  mighty  metropolis,  the  half  of  which  he  might  have 
owned  as  easily  as  to  write  his  name,  but  of  which  there  was 
not  a  single  foot  he  could  now  call  his  own ;  he  had  seen  the 
graceful  hills  and  sweet  valleys  of  his  native  land  pass  from 
the  gentle  rule  of  brothers  and  friends  into  the  hands  of 
foreigners,  under  whose  harsh  domination  the  sound  of  his 
native  tongue  had  died  away  Uke  angels'  music. 

Call  upon  him  at  Sonoma,  at  any  time  from  five  to  ten 
years  after  his  setding  there,  and  for  a  native  Californian  you 
find  a  prince,  one  who  occupies,  commands,  and  Hves  in 
rustic  splendor.  His  house,  a  long  two-story  adobe,  with 
wing  and  out-houses,  was  probably  the  finest  in  California. 
Besides  liis  dusky  retainers,  who  were  swept  away  by  diseases 
brought  upon  them  by  the  white  man,  he  had  always  on  the 
premises  at  his  command  a  company  of  soldiers,  and  servants 
without  number.  There  he  had  his  library,  and  there  he 
wrote  a  history  of  California,  covering  some  seven  or  eight 
hundred  manuscript  pages ;  but,  alas ! .  house,  history,  books, 
and  a  large  portion  of  the  original  documents  which  he  and 
his  father  and  his  grandfather  had  accumulated  and  pre- 
served, were  almost  in  a  moment  swept  away  by  fire.     This 


198  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

was  a  great  loss ;  but  few  then  or  subsequently  knew  any- 
thing of  the  papers  or  the  history. 

He  was  stately  and  stiff  in  those  days,  for  he  was  the  first 
power  in  northern  CaHfornia,  and  to  meet  an  equal  he  must 
travel  many  leagues.  The  United  States  treated  him  badly, 
and  the  state  treated  him  badly,  or  rather  sharpers,  citizens 
of  the  commonwealth,  and  acting  in  the  name  of  the  state 
and  of  the  United  States,  first  took  from  him  his  lands,  and 
then  failed  to  keep  faith  with  him  in  placing  the  state  capital 
at  Vallejo,  as  they  had  agreed. 

When  gold  was  discovered,  three  thousand  natives  answered 
to  his  call ;  in  the  hall  of  his  dwelling  at  Sonoma,  soon  after- 
ward, were  stacked  jars  of  the  precious  metal,  as  though  it 
had  been  flour  or  beans.  When  one  had  leagues  of  land  and 
tons  of  gold;  when  lands  were  given  away,  not  sold  and 
bought,  and  gold  came  pouring  in  for  cattle  and  products 
which  had  hitherto  been  regarded  of  scarcely  value  enough 
to  pay  for  the  computation ;  when,  for  aught  any  one  knew, 
the  Sierra  was  half  gold,  and  gold  bought  pleasure  and  adu- 
lation, what  was  to  stay  the  lavish  hand  ?  For  holding  the 
general's  horse  the  boy  was  flung  a  doubloon ;  for  shaving 
him  the  barber  was  given  an  ounce  and  no  change  required ; 
at  places  of  entertainment  and  amusement,  at  the  festive 
board,  the  club,  the  gathering,  ounces  were  as  coppers  to  the 
New  Englander,  or  as  quarter-dollars  to  the  later  Californian. 

Singular,  indeed,  and  well-nigh  supernatural  must  have 
been  the  sensations  which  crept  over  the  yet  active  and  vig- 
orous old  gentleman  as  he  wandered  amidst  the  scenes  of  his 
younger  days.  Never  saw  one  generation  such  change;  never 
saw  one  man  such  transformation.  Among  them  he  walked 
like  one  returned  from  centuries  of  journeying. 

"  I  love  to  go  to  Monterey,"  he  used  to  say  to  me,  "for 
there  I  may  yet  find  a  litde  of  the  dear  and  almost  obliter- 
ated past.  There  is  yet  the  ocean  that  smiles  to  me  as  I 
approach,  and  venerable  bearded  oaks,  to  which  I  raise  my 
hat  as  I  pass  under  them ;  and  there  are  streets  still  familiar, 


THE    TWO    GENERALS.  1 99 

and  houses  not  yet  torn  down,  and  streams  and  landscapes 
which  I  may  yet  recognize  as  part  of  my  former  belongings. 
But  after  all  these  are  only  the  unfabricated  grave-gear  that 
tell  me  I  am  not  yet  dead." 

In  his  family  and  among  his  friends  he  was  an  exceedingly 
kind-hearted  man.  Before  the  stranger,  particularly  before 
the  importunate  Yankee  stranger,  he  drew  close  round  him 
the  robes  of  his  dignity.  In  all  the  common  courtesies  of 
life  he  w^as  punctilious,  even  for  a  Spaniard ;  neither  was  his 
politeness  affected,  but  it  sprang  from  true  gentleness  of 
heart.  It  was  his  nature,  when  in  the  society  of  those  he 
loved  and  respected,  to  prefer  them  to  himself;  it  was  when 
he  came  in  contact  with  the  world  that  all  the  lofty  pride  of 
his  Castilian  ancestry  came  to  the  surface. 

Indeed,  the  whole  current  of  his  nature  ran  deep;  his  life 
was  not  the  dashing  torrent,  but  the  still,  silent  flow  of  the 
mighty  river. 

In  his  younger  days  he  w'as  a  model  of  chivalry,  a  true 
Amadis  of  Gaul;  and  when  age  had  stiftened  his  joints  some- 
what, he  lost  none  of  his  gallantry,  and  was  as  ready  with  his 
poetry  as  with  his  philosophy.  Indeed,  he  wrote  verses  with 
no  common  degree  of  talent,  and  there  are  many  parts  of  his 
history  which  might  better  be  called  poetry  than  prose. 

His  philosophy  was  of  the  Pythagorean  type ;  he  was  not 
always  ready  to  tell  all  that  he  knew,  and  in  determining  whom 
to  trust  he  was  governed  greatly  by  his  physiognomical  dis- 
cernment. He  liked  or  disliked  a  person  usually  upon  sight 
or  instinct.  He  was  a  close  and  shrevv'd  observer,  and  was 
usually  correct  in  his  estimates  of  human  character.  His 
wisdom,  though  simple  and  fantastic,  was  deep.  He  respected 
the  forms  of  religion  from  ancient  association  and  habit  rather 
than  from  strong  internal  convictions  as  to  their  efficacy. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  asceticism  in  his  piety ;  his  was 
far  too  intelligent  a  mind  to  lie  under  the  curse  of  bigotry. 
Without  being  what  might  be  called  a  dreamer  in  philosophic 
matters,  he  possessed  in  a  happy  degree  the  faculty  of  prac- 
tical abstraction ;  there  was  to  him  here  in  the  flesh  a  sphere 


200  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

of  thought  other  than  that  answering  to  the  demands  of  the 
body  for  food  and  covering.  Thither  one  might  sometimes 
escape  and  find  rest  from  every-day  sohcitudes. 

Although  brave  and  bluff  as  a  soldier,  stem  and  uncom- 
promising as  a  man  of  the  world,  I  have  seen  him  in  his 
softer  moods  as  sensitive  and  as  sentimental  as  a  Madame 
de  Stael.  He  was  in  every  respect  a  sincere  man.  To  his 
honesty,  but  not  to  his  discretion,  a  friend  might  trust  his  for- 
tune and  his  life.  He  never  would  betray,  but  he  might 
easily  be  betrayed.  Ever  ready  to  help  a  friend,  he  expected 
his  friend  to  help  him. 

In  common  with  most  of  his  countrymen,  his  projects  and 
his  enthusiasms  swayed  violently  bet^veen  extremes.  He  was 
too  apt  to  be  carried  away  by  whatever  was  uppermost  in  his 
mind.  Not  that  his  character  lacked  ballast,  or  that  he  was 
incapable  of  close  calculation  or  clear  discrimination;  but 
never  having  been  accustomed  to  the  rigid  self-restriction 
which  comes  from  a  life  of  plodding  application,  he  was  per- 
haps too  much  under  the  influence  of  that  emprcssement  which 
lies  nearest  the  affections. 

Yet  for  this  same  defect,  posterity  will  praise  him ,-  for  an 
heroic  and  discriminating  zeal  which,  though  impetuous,  al- 
ways hurried  him  forward  in  the  right  direction,  his  children's 
children  will  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed.  He  was  the  no- 
blest Califomian  of  them  all !  Among  all  the  wealthy,  the 
patriotic,  and  the  learned  of  this  land  he  alone  came  forward 
and  flung  himself,  his  time,  his  energies,  and  all  that  was  his, 
into  the  general  fund  of  experiences  accumulating  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  should  come  after  him.  His  loyalty 
was  pure;  and  haj^py  the  god  in  whose  conquered  city  are 
still  found  worshippers. 

Pachcco  might  promise ;  Vallcjo  performed.  While  dema- 
gogues were  ranting  of  their  devotion  to  country,  offering  for 
a  liberal  compensation  to  sacrifice  themselves  at  Sacramento 
or  at  Washington,  General  Vallejo  was  spending  his  time  and 
money  scouring  California  for  the  rescuing  of  valuable  knowl- 
edge from  obliteration,  and  in  arranging  it^  when  found,  in 


THE   TWO    GENERALS.  20I 

form  available  to  the  world.  Let  Spanish-speaking  CaUfor- 
nians  honor  him,  for  he  was  their  chief  in  chivalrous  devotion 
to  a  noble  cause !  Let  English-speaking  Califomians  honor 
him,  for  without  the  means  of  some  he  did  more  than  any- 
other  for  the  lasting  benefit  of  the  country !  Let  all  the 
world  honor  him,  for  he  is  thrice  worthy  the  praise  of  all ! 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

ITALIAN    STRATEGY. 


A  few  drops  of  oil  will  set  the  political  machine  at  work,  when  a  ton 
of  vinegar  would  only  corrode  the  wheels  and  canker  the  movements. 

—  Co  I  ion. 

GENERAL  Vallejo  was  wary ;  General  Cerruti  was  wily. 
Rumor  had  filled  all  the  drawers  and  chests  at  La- 
chryma  Montis,  the  residence  of  General  Vallejo  at  Sonoma, 
with  priceless  documents  relating  to  the  history  of  Cahfornia, 
some  saved  from  the  fire  which  destroyed  his  dwelling,  some 
gathered  since,  and  had  endowed  the  owner  with  singular 
knowledge  in  deciphering  them  and  in  explaining  early 
affairs.  Hence,  when  some  petty  scribbler  wished  to  talk 
largely  about  things  of  which  he  knew  nothing,  he  would 
visit  Sonoma,  would  bow  himself  into  the  parlor  at  Lachryma 
Montis,  or  besiege  the  general  in  his  study,  and  beg  for  some 
particular  purpose  a  little  information  concerning  the  untold 
past.  The  general  declared  that  rumor  was  a  fool,  and 
directed  applicants  to  the  many  historical  and  biographical 
sketches  already  in  print. 

I  had  addressed  to  Sonoma  communications  of  this  charac- 
ter several  times  myself,  and  while  I  always  received  a  polite 
reply  there  was  no  tangible  result.  As  Cerruti  displayed 
more  and  more  ability  in  gathering  material,  and  as  I  was 
satisfied  that  General  Vallejo  could  disclose  more  than  he 
professed  himself  able  to,  I  directed  the  Italian  to  open  cor- 
respondence with  him,  with  instructions  to  use  his  own  judg- 
ment in  storming  the  walls  of  indifference  and  prejudice  at 
Lachryma  Montis. 

License  being  thus  allowed  him,  Cerruti  opened  the  cam- 
paign by  addressing  a  letter  to  General  Vallejo  couched  in 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  203 

terms  of  true  Spanish- American  courtesy,  which  consists  of 
boasting  and  flattery  in  equal  parts. 

To  the  searcher  after  CaUfornian  truth  Vallejo  was  CaHfor- 
nia,  to  the  student  of  California's  history  Vallejo  was  Cali- 
fornia ;  so  Cerruti  had  affirmed  in  his  letter,  and  the^ecipient 
seemed  not  disposed  to  resent  the  assertion.  The  writer 
loved  truth  and  history;  he  loved  Cahfomia,  and  longed  to 
know  more  of  her ;  most  of  all  he  loved  Vallejo,  who  was 
Cahfomia  in  the  flesh.  Not  a  word  said  Cerruti  about  Ban- 
croft, his  library,  or  his  work,  preferring  to  appear  before  him 
whom  he  must  conquer  as  a  late  consul-general  and  an  exiled 
soldier,  rather  than  as  the  subordinate  of  another. 

The  result  was  as  he  had  desired.  Courteously  General 
Vallejo  replied,  at  the  same  time  intimating  that  if  Cerruti 
desired  historical  data  he  had  better  call  and  get  it.  "  Sin 
embargo,"  he  says,  "  por  casualidad  6  por  accidente,  ese 
nombre  esta  relacionado  e  identificado  de  tal  manera  con  la 
historia  de  la  Alta  California  desde  su  fundacion  hasta  hoy, 
que  aunque  insignificante,  de  veras,  Sr.  Consul,  la  omision 
de  el  en  ella  sera  como  la  omision  de  un  punto  6  una  coma 
en  un  discurso  escrito  6  la  acentuacion  ortografica  de  una 
carta  epistolar." 

So  Cerruti.  went  to  Sonoma,  went  to  Lachryma  Montis 
almost  a  stranger,  but  carrying  with  him,  in  tongue  and 
temper  at  least,  much  that  was  held  in  common  by  the  man 
he  visited.  It  was  a  most  difticult  undertaking,  and  I  did 
not  know  another  person  in  California  whom  I  would  have 
despatched  on  this  mission  with  any  degree  of  confidence. 

Introducing  himself,  he  told  his  tale.  In  his  pocket  were 
letters  of  introduction,  but  he  did  not  deign  to  use  them ;  he 
determined  to  make  his  way  after  his  own  fashion.  Cerruti's 
was  not  the  story  to  which  the  general  was  accustomed  to 
turn  a  deaf  ear.  Further  than  this,  the  Italian  had  studied 
well  the  character  of  him  he  sought  to  win,  and  knew  when  to 
flatter,  and  how.  Spaniards  will  swallow  much  if  of  Spanish 
flavor  and  administered  in  Spanish  doses.     This  Cerruti  well 


204  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

understood.  He  had  every  advantage.  In  his  role  of  stran- 
ger visiting  the  first  of  CaUfornians,  he  could  play  upon  the 
general's  pride  of  person,  of  family;  he  could  arouse  his  wrath 
or  stir  up  soft  sympathy  almost  at  pleasure. 

And  yet  the  Spaniard  was  not  duped  by  the  ItaHan;  he 
was  only  pleased.  All  the  while  General  Vallejo  knew  that 
Cerruti  had  a  definite  purpose  there,  some  axe  to  grind,  some 
favor  to  ask,  which  had  not  yet  been  spoken ;  and  when  finally 
the  latter  veered  closer  to  his  errand  and  spoke  of  documents, 
"  I  presently  saw,"  said  the  general  to  me  afterward,  "  the 
ghost  of  Bancroft  behind  him."  Nevertheless,  Vallejo  listened 
and  was  pleased.  "After  making  deep  soundings,"  writes 
Cerruti  in  the  journal  I  directed  him  to  keep,  and  which,  under 
the  title  Rainblings  in  California,  contains  much  good  read- 
ing, "  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  General  Vallejo  Avas 
anxious  for  some  person  endowed  with  literary  talents  to 
engage  in  the  arduous  task  of  giving  to  the  world  a  true  his- 
tory of  California.  Having  come  to  this  conclusion,  I  frankly 
admitted  to  him  that  I  had  neither  the  intelligence  nor  the 
means  required  for  so  colossal  an  enterprise,  but  assured  him 
that  Hubert  H.  Bancroft,"  etc.  After  a  brief  interview  Cer- 
ruti retreated  with  an  invitation  to  dine  at  Lachryma  Montis 
the  next  day. 

It  was  a  grand  opportunity,  that  dinner  party,  for  a  few 
others  had  been  invited,  and  we  may  rest  assured  our  gen- 
eral did  not  fail  to  improve  it.  Early  during  the  courses  his 
inventive  faculties  were  brought  into  play,  and  whenever  any- 
thing specially  strong  arose  in  his  mind  he  threw  up  his  chin, 
and  lifted  his  voice  so  that  all  present  might  hear  it.  On 
whatever  subject  such  remark  might  be,  it  was  sure  to  be 
received  with  laughter  and  applause ;  for  somewhere  inter- 
woven in  it  was  a  compliment  for  some  one  present,  who  if 
not  specially  pleased  at  the  broad  flattery  could  but  be 
amused  at  the  manner  in  which  it  was  presented.  How  well 
the  envoy  improved  his  time  is  summed  in  one  line  of  his 
account,  where  with  charming  naivete  he  says :  "  In  such 
pleasant   company  hunger  disappeared   as  if  by  enchant- 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  205 

ment,  and  the  food  placed  on  my  plate  was  left  almost 
untouched" — in  plam  English,  he  talked  so  much  he  could 
not  eat. 

Next  day  our  expert  little  general  was  everywhere,  talking 
to  everybody,  in  barber-shops,  beer-saloons,  and  wine-cellars, 
in  public  and  private  houses,  offices  and  stores,  making  friends 
and  picking  up  information  relating  to  his  mission.  First  he 
wrote  the  reminiscences  of  some  half-dozen  pioneers  he  had 
met  and  conversed  with  on  the  boat,  at  the  hotel,  and  on  the 
street,  writings  which  he  did  not  fail  to  spread  before  Gen- 
eral Vallejo,  with  loud  and  ludicrous  declamation  on  the 
character  of  each.  Thus  he  made  the  magnate  of  Sonoma 
feel  that  the  visitor  was  at  once  to  become  a  man  of  mark 
in  that  locality,  whom  to  have  as  a  friend  was  better  for  Val- 
lejo than  that  he  should  be  regarded  as  opposed  to  his  mis- 
sion. But  this  was  not  the  cause  of  the  friendship  that  now 
began  to  spring  up  in  the  breasts  of  these  two  men. 

This  display  of  ability  on  the  part  of  the  new-comer  could 
not  fail  to  carry  with  it  the  respect  of  those  who  otherwise 
were  sensible  enough  to  see  that  Cerruti  was  a  most  windy 
and  erratic  talker.  But  his  vein  of  exaggeration,  united  as  it 
was  with  energy,  ability,  enthusiasm,  and  honesty,  amused 
rather  than  offended,  particularly  when  people  recognized 
that  deception  and  harm  were  not  intended.  Here  indeed 
was  one  of  the  secret  charms  of  Cerruti,  this  and  his  flattery. 
All  Spaniards  delight  in  hyperbole. 

Among  Cerruti's  earliest  acquaintances  made  at  Sonoma 
was  Major  Salvador  Vallejo,  a  younger  brother  of  the  gen- 
eral, and  from  whom  he  took  a  very  interesting  dictation. 
Major  Salvador  was  born  in  Monterey  in  1814.  He  had 
been  a  great  Indian-fighter,  and  had  many  interesting  events 
to  relate  of  by-gone  times. 

Often  Cerruti  would  give  great  names  to  the  shadows  of 
men,  and  find  himself  pressed  to  the  wall  by  the  greatness  he 
had  invoked ;  often  he  was  obHged  to  allay  by  falsehood 
anger  aroused  by  indiscretion.  Writing  on  the  2gth  of 
November,    1874,  he  says:   "Major  Salvador   Vallejo   has 


206  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

perused  the  Overland,  and  is  very  much  enraged  that  the 
writer  of  the  article  on  material  for  California  history  should 
have  given  credit  to  Castro  and  Alvarado,  who  as  yet  have 
not  written  a  single  line,  and  that  nothing  was  said  in  refer- 
ence to  his  dictation.  I  told  him  that  the  writer  in  the  Over- 
land was  not  connected  with  the  Bancroft  library,  but  he 
refused  to  believe  what  I  said." 

Thus  the  Italian  continued,  until  a  week,  ten  days,  a  fort- 
night, passed  without  very  much  apparent  headway  so  far  as 
the  main  object  of  his  mission  was  concerned.  The  minor 
dictations  were  all  valuable ;  but  anything  short  of  success 
in  the  one  chief  object  which  had  called  him  there  was  not 
success.  Every  day  Cerruti  danced  attendance  at  Lachryma 
Montis,  spending  several  hours  there,  sometimes  dining,  some- 
times chatting  through  the  evening.  He  created  a  favorable 
impression  in  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Vallejo,  made  love  to  the 
young  women,  and  flattered  the  general  to  his  heart's  content. 

This  was  all  very  pleasant  to  the  occupants  of  a  country 
residence.  It  was  not  every  day  there  came  to  Lachryma 
Montis  such  a  fascinating  fellow  as  Cerruti,  one  who  paid  his 
board  at  the  Sonoma  hotel,  and  his  bill  at  the  livery  stable  ; 
and  no  wonder  the  Vallejos  enjoyed  it,  Uppermost  in  the 
faithful  Italian's  mind,  however,  throughout  the  whole  of  it 
was  his  great  and  primary  purpose.  But  whenever  he  spoke 
of  documents,  of  the  Sonoma  treasury  of  original  historical 
material.  General  Vallejo  retired  within  himself,  and  remained 
oblivious  to  the  most  wily  arts  of  the  tempter.  The  old 
general  would  talk ;  he  liked  to  talk,  for  when  he  could  em- 
ploy his  native  tongue  he  was  a  brilliant  conversationalist 
and  after-dinner  speaker.  And  on  retiring  to  his  quarters  the 
younger  general  would  record  whatever  he  could  remember 
of  the  words  that  fell  from  his  elder's  lips.  Sometimes,  indeed, 
when  they  were  alone  Cerruti  would  take  out  his  note-book 
and  write  as  his  companion  spoke. 

But  all  this  was  most  unsatisfying  to  Cerruti :  and  he  now 
began  more  clearly  to  intimate  that  the  spending  of  so  much 


ITALIAN   STRATEGY.  207 

time  and  money  in  that  way  would  be  unsatisfactory  to 
Mr.  Bancroft.  Then  he  plainly  said  that  he  must  make  a 
better  showing  or  retire  from  the  field.  If  it  was  true,  as 
General  Vallejo  had  assured  him,  that  he  had  nothing,  and 
could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  dictate  his  recollections,  that 
was  the  end  of  it;  he  must  return  to  San  Francisco  and 
so  report. 

This  threat  was  not  made,  however,  until  the  crafty  Italian 
had  well  considered  the  effect.  He  saw  that  Vallejo  was 
gradually  becoming  more  and  more  interested  in  him  and  his 
mission.  He  saw  that,  although  the  general  was  extremely 
reticent  regarding  what  he  possessed,  and  what  he  would  do, 
he  was  seriously  revolving  the  subject  in  his  mind,  and  that 
he  thought  much  of  it. 

But  the  old  general  could  be  as  cunning  and  crafty  as  the 
younger  one,  and  it  was  now  the  Spaniard's  turn  to  play  upon 
the  Italian.  This  he  did  most  skilfully,  and  in  such  a  manner 
as  thoroughly  to  deceive  him  and  throw  us  all  off  the  scent. 

While  reiterating  his  assurances  that  he  had  nothing,  and 
that  he  could  disclose  nothing ;  that  when  he  wrote  his  recol- 
lections the  first  time  he  had  before  him  the  vouchers  in  the 
form  of  original  letters,  proclamations,  and  other  papers, 
which  were  all  swept  away  by  the  fire  that  burned  the  manu- 
script he  had  prepared  with  such  care  and  labor;  and  that 
since  then  he  had  dismissed  the  subject  from  his  mind ;  that, 
indeed,  it  had  become  distasteful  to  him,  and  should  never 
be  revived — while  these  facts  were  kept  constantly  before 
Cerruti,  as  if  firmly  to  impress  them  upon  his  mind.  General 
Vallejo  would  uncover,  little  by  little,  to  his  watchful  atten- 
dant the  vast  fund  of  information  at  his  command.  Some 
anecdote,  apparently  insignificant  in  itself,  would  be  artfully 
interwoven  with  perhaps  a  dozen  historical  incidents,  and  in 
this  exasperating  manner  the  searcher  after  historical  facts 
would  be  shown  a  fertile  field  which  it  was  forbidden  him  to 
enter. 

To  keep  the  Italian  within  call,  and  that  he  might  not  be 
so  reduced  to  despair  as  to  abandon  further  attempts  and 


208  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

return  to  San  Francisco,  Vallejo  now  began  also  to  feed  his 
appetite  with  a  few  papers  which  he  professed  to  have  found 
scattered  about  the  premises,  granting  him  permission  to  take 
copies  of  them,  and  intimating  that  perhaps  he  might  find  a 
few  more  when  those  were  returned.  There  was  his  office,  or 
the  parlor,  at  the  scribe's  disposal,  where  he  might  write  un- 
molested. 

With  a  will  Cerruti  began  his  task.  When  it  was  finished 
a  few  more  papers  were  given  him.  At  first  General  Vallejo 
would  on  no  account  permit  a  single  paper  to  be  taken  from 
the  premises.  But  working  hours  at  Lachryma  Montis  must 
necessarily  be  short,  and  interruptions  frequent.  Would  not 
General  Vallejo  kindly  repose  confidence  enough  to  permit 
him  to  take  the  documents  to  his  hotel  to  copy,  upon  his 
sacred  assurance  that  not  one  of  them  should  pass  out  of  his 
hands,  but  should  be  returned  immediately  the  copy  was 
made?  With  apparent  reluctance  the  request  was  finally 
granted. 

This  made  Cerruti  hilarious  in  his  letters  to  Oak.  General 
Vallejo  was  a  great  and  good  man,  and  was  rapidly  taking 
him  into  his  friendship,  which  was  indeed  every  word  of  it 
true.  And  now  in  some  unaccountable  way  the  papers  to  be 
copied  rapidly  increased;  more  of  them  were  brought  to 
light  than  had  been  thought  to  exist.  The  hotel  was  noisy 
and  unpleasant,  and  the  copyist  finally  determined  to  rent  a 
room  on  the  street  fronting  the  jilaza,  where  he  might  write 
and  receive  his  friends.  There  he  could  keep  his  own  wine 
and  cigars  with  which  to  regale  those  who  told  him  their 
stories,  and  the  sums  which  had  before  been  spent  at  bar- 
rooms treating  these  always  thirsty  persons  would  pay  room 
rent.  Cerruti  was  a  close  financier,  but  a  liberal  spender  of 
other  men's  money.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  as  the  result 
of  this  deeply  laid  economic  scheme  the  copyist  had  in  his 
office  usually  two  or  three  worthless  idlers  drinking  and 
smoking  in  the  name  of  literature  and  at  the  expense  of  his- 
tory, persons  whom  he  found  it  impossible  to  get  rid  of,  and 
whom  it  was  not  politic  to  offend. 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  209 

Thicker  and  broader  was  each  succeeding  package  now 
given  the  brave  consul-general  to  copy,  until  he  began  to 
tire  of  it.  He  must  have  help.  What  harm  would  there  be, 
after  all,  if  he  sent  part  of  each  package  carefully  by  express 
to  the  library  to  be  copied  there  ?  There  was  no  lisk.  He 
could  represent  to  me  that  General  Vallejo  had  given  per- 
mission, with  the  understanding  that  they  must  be  returned 
at  once.  Besides,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  something 
should  be  done.  Sonoma  was  an  extremely  dull,  uninter- 
esting place,  and  he  did  not  propose  to  spend  the  remainder 
of  his  days  there  copying  documents. 

The  method  he  employed,  which  would  at  once  enable 
him  to  accomplish  his  object  and  keep  his  faith,  was  some- 
what unique.  Major  Salvador  Vallejo  once  wishing  Cerruti 
to  spend  a  day  with  him,  the  latter  replied :  "  I  cannot ;  I 
must  copy  these  papers ;  but  if  you  will  assume  the  responsi- 
bihty  and  send  them  to  San  Francisco  to  be  copied  I  am  at 
your  service."  Salvador  at  once  assented,  and  ever  after  all 
breaches  of  trust  were  laid  upon  his  shoulders. 

Thus  matters  continued  for  two  months  and  more,  during 
which  time  Oak,  Fisher,  and  myself  severally  made  visits  to 
Sonoma  and  were  kindly  entertained  at  Lachryma  Montis. 
All  this  time  General  Vallejo  was  gaining  confidence  in  my 
messenger  and  my  work.  He  could  but  be  convinced  that 
this  literary  undertaking  was  no  speculation,  or  superficial 
clap-trap,  but  genuine,  soHd,  searching  work.  Once  thor- 
oughly satisfied  of  this,  and  the  battle  was  won ;  for  General 
Vallejo  was  not  the  man  to  leave  himself,  his  family,  his 
many  prominent  and  unrecorded  deeds,  out  of  a  work  such 
as  this  purported  to  be. 

One  day  while  in  a  somewhat  more  than  usually  confiden- 
tial mood  he  said  to  Cerruti :  "  I  cannot  but  believe  Mr. 
Bancroft  to  be  in  earnest,  and  that  he  means  to  give  the 
world  a  true  history  of  California.  I  was  bom  in  this  coun- 
try; I  once  undertook  to  write  its  history,  but  my  poor 
manuscript  and  my  house  were  burned  together.  I  was 
absent  from  home  at  the  time.  By  mere  chance  my  servants 
14 


210  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

succeeded  in  saving  several  bundles  of  documents  referring 
to  the  early  days  of  California,  but  the  number  was  insignifi- 
cant compared  with  those  destroyed.  However,  I  will  write 
to  San  Jose  for  a  trunk  filled  with  papers  that  I  have  there, 
and  of  which  you  may  copy  for  Mr.  Bancroft  what  you  please." 

"  But,  General,"  exclaimed  Cerruti,  overwhelmed  by  the 
revelation,  "  I  cannot  copy  them  here.  Since  you  have  been 
so  kind  as  to  repose  this  confidence  in  me,  permit  me  to  take 
the  papers  to  the  library  and  employ  men  to  copy  them; 
otherwise  I  might  work  over  them  for  years." 

"  Well,  be  it  so,"  replied  the  general ;  "  and  while  you  are 
about  it,  there  are  two  other  chests  of  documents  here  which 
I  have  never  disturbed  since  the  fire.  Take  them  also ;  copy 
them  as  quickly  as  you  can,  and  return  them  to  me.  I  shall 
be  more  than  repaid  if  Mr.  Bancroft's  history  proves  such  as 
my  country  deserves." 

Now  it  was  a  fundamental  maxim  with  Cerruti  never  to  be 
satisfied.  In  collecting  material,  where  I  and  most  men  would 
be  gratefully  content,  acquisition  only  made  him  the  more 
avaricious.  As  long  as  there  was  anything  left,  so  long  did 
he  not  cease  to  importune. 

"  Why  not  multiply  this  munificence  fourfold,"  he  said, 
"  by  giving  Mr.  Bancroft  these  documents  out  and  out,  and 
so  save  him  the  heavy  expense  of  copying  them?  That 
would  be  a  deed  worthy  of  General  Vallejo.  Surely  Mr. 
Bancroft's  path  is  beset  with  difficulties  enough  at  best.  In 
his  library  your  documents  will  be  safely  kept ;  they  will  be 
collated,  bound,  and  labelled  with  your  name,  and  this  good 
act  shall  not  only  be  heralded  now,  but  the  record  of  it  shall 
stand  forever." 

"  No,  sir !  "  exclaimed  the  general,  emphatically.  .  "  At  all 
events  not  now.  And  I  charge  you  to  make  no  further 
allusion  to  such  a  possibility  if  you  value  my  favor.  Think 
you  I  regard  these  papers  so  lightly  as  to  be  wheedled  out 
of  them  in  little  more  than  two  short  months,  and  by  one 
almost  a  stranger?  You  have  asked  many  times  for  my 
recollections ;  those  I  am  now  prepared  to  give  you." 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  211 

"  Good ! "  cried  Cerruti,  who  was  always  ready  to  take 
what  he  could  get,  provided  he  could  not  get  what  he  wanted. 
"  All  ready,  General ;  you  may  begin  your  narrative." 

"  My  friend,"  returned  the  general  mildly,  "  you  seem  to 
be  in  haste.  I  should  take  you  for  a  Yankee  rather  than  for 
an  Italian.  Do  you  expect  me  to  write  history  on  horseback  ? 
I  do  not  approve  of  this  method.  I  am  willing  and  ready 
to  relate  all  I  can  remember,  but  I  wish  it  clearly  understood 
that  it  must  be  in  my  own  way,  and  at  my  own  time.  I  will 
not  be  hurried  or  dictated  to.  It  is  my  history,  and  not 
yours,  I  propose  to  tell.  Pardon  me,  my  friend,  for  speaking 
thus  plainly,  but  I  am  particular  on  this  point.  If  I  give  my 
story  it  must  be  worthy  of  the  cause  and  worthy  of  me." 

To  Cerruti  it  was  easier  to  write  a  dozen  pages  than  to 
think  about  writing  one.  In  the  opinion  of  Vallejo,  such  a 
writer  deserved  to  be  burned  upon  a  pile  of  his  own  works, 
like  Cassius  Etruscus,  who  boasted  he  could  write  four  hun- 
dred pages  in  one  day. 

But  this  rebuke  was  not  unpalatable,  for  it  lifted  the  matter 
at  once  from  the  category  of  personal  narrative  to  the  higher 
plane  of  exact  history.  It  was  history,  and  nothing  beneath 
it,  to  be  written  no  less  from  documentary  than  from  personal 
evidence,  and  from  the  documents  and  experiences  of  others, 
as  well  as  from  his  papers  and  personal  observations. 

With  June  came  the  two  generals  to  San  Francisco.  The 
Vallejo  documents  were  all  in  the  librar)',  and  round  one  of 
the  long  tables  were  seated  eight  Mexicans  copying  them. 
One  morning  the  Spaniard  and  the  Italian  entered  the  li- 
brary. I  think  this  was  General  Vallejo's  first  visit  to  the  fifth 
floor. 

It  was  to  him  an  impressive  sight.  Passing  the  cop)dsts, 
who  with  one  accord  signified  their  respect  by  rising  and 
bowing,  he  was  conducted  to  my  room.  Nemos,  Oak,  and 
others  who  happened  to  be  acquainted  with  the  general, 
then  came  in;  cigars  were  passed,  and  the  conversation 
became  general.  The  history  of  California,  with  the  Vallejo 
family  as  a  central  figure,  was  the  theme,  and  it  was  earnestly 


212  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

and  honestly  discussed.  Two  hours  were  then  spent  by  the 
distinguished  visitor  examining  the  Hbrary.  He  was  attended 
by  one  of  my  assistants,  who  explained  everything,  giving  in 
detail  what  we  had  done,  what  we  were  doing,  and  what  we 
proposed  to  do. 

It  was  very  evident  that  General  Vallejo  was  impressed 
and  pleased.  Here  was  the  promise  of  a  work  which  of  all 
others  lay  nearest  his  heart,  conducted  on  a  plan  which  if 
carried  out  would,  he  was  convinced,  secure  the  grandest 
results.  It  was  a  work  in  which  he  was  probably  more 
nearly  concerned  than  the  author  of  it.  If  I  was  the  writer 
of  history,  he  was  the  embodiment  of  history.  This  he 
seemed  fully  to  realize. 

Cerruti  saw  his  opportunity ;  let  my  faithful  Italian  alone 
for  that!  He  saw  Vallejo  drinking  it  all  in  like  an  inspira- 
tion; he  saw  it  in  his  enkindled  eye,  in  his  flushed  face  and 
firm  tread.  Before  the  examination  of  the  library  was  fairly 
finished,  placing  himself  by  the  side  of  his  now  sincere  and 
devoted  friend  he  whispered,  "  Now  is  your  time.  General. 
If  you  are  ever  going  to  give  those  papers —  and  what  better 
can  you  do  with  them  ?  —  this  is  the  proper  moment.  Mr. 
Bancroft  suspects  nothing.  There  are  the  copyists,  seated  to 
at  least  a  twelvemonth's  labor.  A  word  from  you  Avill  save 
him  this  large  and  unnecessary  expenditure,  secure  his  grati- 
tude, and  the  admiration  of  all  present." 

"  He  deserves  them !  "  was  the  reply.  "  Tell  him  they  are 
his." 

I  was  literally  speechless  with  astonishment  and  joy  when 
Cerruti  said  to  me, "  General  Vallejo  gives  you  all  his  papers." 
Besides  the  priceless  intrinsic  value  of  these  documents,  which 
would  forever  place  my  library  beyond  the  power  of  man  to 
equal  in  original  material  for  California  history,  the  example 
would  double  the  benefits  of  the  gift. 

I  knew  General  Vallejo  would  not  stop  there.  He  Avas 
slow  to  be  won,  but  once  enlisted,  his  native  enthusiasm 
would  carry  him  to  the  utmost  limit  of  his  ability ;  and  I  was 
right.     From  that  moment  I  had  not  only  a  friend  and  sup- 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  213 

porter,  but  a  diligent  worker.  Side  by  side  with  Savage  and 
Cerruti,  for  the  next  two  years  he  alternately  wrote  history 
and  scoured  the  country  for  fresh  personal  and  documentary 
information. 

"  When  I  visited  San  Francisco  last  week,"  writes  General 
Vallejo  to  the  Sonoma  Democrat,  in  reply  to  a  complaint  that 
theVallejo  archives  should  have  been  permitted  to  become 
the  property  of  a  private  individual,  "  I  had  not  the  slightest 
intention  of  parting  with  my  documents;  but  my  friends  hav- 
ing induced  me  to  visit  Mr.  Bancroft's  library,  where  I  was 
shown  the  greatest  attention,  and  moreover  allowed  to  look 
at  thousands  of  manuscripts,  some  of  them  bearing  the  sig- 
natures of  Columbus,  Isabel  the  Catholic,  Philip  II.,  and  vari- 
ous others  pre-eminent  among  those  who  figured  during  the 
fifteenth  century,  I  was  exceedingly  pleased ;  and  when  Mr. 
Bancroft  had  the  goodness  to  submit  to  my  inspection  seven 
or  eight  thousand  pages  written  by  himself,  and  all  relating 
to  California,  the  history  of  which  until  now  has  remained 
unwritten,  I  could  not  but  admire  the  writer  who  has  taken 
upon  himself  the  arduous  task  of  giving  to  the  world  a  com- 
plete history  of  the  country  in  which  I  was  bom ;  and  there- 
fore I  believed  it  my  duty  to  offer  to  him  the  documents  in 
my  possession,  with  the  certainty  that  their  perusal  would  in 
some  wise  contribute  to  the  stupendous  enterprise  of  a  young^ 
writer  who  is  employing  his  means  and  intelligence  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  to  a  favorable  termination  the  noble  task 
of  bequeathing  to  the  land  of  his  adoption  a  history  worthy 
of  his  renown." 

I  thanked  the  general  as  best  I  could ;  but  words  poorly 
expressed  my  gratitude.  The  copyists  were  dismissed,  all 
but  two  or  three,  who  were  put  to  work  arranging  and  index- 
ing the  documents  preparatory  to  binding.  A  title-page  was 
printed,  and  when  the  work  was  done  twenty-seven  large 
thick  volumes  of  original  material,  each  approaching  the 
dimensions  of  a  quarto  dictionary,  were  added  to  the  library ; 
nor  did  General  Vallejo  cease  his  good  work  until  the  twenty-- 
seven  were  made  fifty. 


214  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

That  night  I  entertained  the  general  at  my  house;  and 
shortly  afterward  he  brought  his  family  from  Lachryma 
Montis  and  stayed  a  month  with  me,  a  portion  of  which 
time  the  general  himself,  attended  by  Cerruti,  spent  at 
Monterey  writing  and  collecting. 

It  was  in  April,  1874,  that  Cerruti  began  writing  in  Spanish 
the  Hisioria  de  California,  dictated  by  M.  G.  Vallejo.  It 
was  understood  from  the  first  that  this  history  was  for  my 
sole  use,  not  to  be  printed  unless  I  should  so  elect,  and  that 
my  sanction  was  not  probable.  It  was  to  be  used  by  me  in 
writing  my  history  as  other  chief  authorities  were  used;  the 
facts  and  incidents  therein  contained  were  to  be  given  their 
proper  place  and  importance  side  by  side  with  other  facts 
and  incidents. 

The  two  years  of  labor  upon  the  Vallejo  history  were  cheer- 
fully borne  by  the  author  for  the  benefit  it  would  confer  upon 
his  country,  and  that  without  even  the  hope  of  some  time 
seeing  it  in  print.  Undoubtedly  there  was  personal  and 
family  pride  connected  with  it ;  yet  it  was  a  piece  of  as  pure 
patriotism  as  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  encounter.  General 
Vallejo  never  would  accept  from  me  compensation  for  his 
part  of  the  work.  I  was  to  furnish  an  amanuensis  in  the 
person  of  Cerruti,  and  the  fruits  of  their  combined  labor  were 
to  be  mine  unreservedly.  As  it  was,  the  cost  to  me  amounted 
to  a  large  sum ;  but  had  the  author  charged  me  for  his  time 
and  expenses,  it  would  have  been  twice  as  much. 

This  and  other  obligations  of  which  I  shall  have  occasion 
to  speak  hereafter,  I  can  never  forget.  Posterity  cannot 
estimate  them  too  highly.  General  Vallejo  was  the  only  man 
on  the  coast  who  could  have  done  this  if  he  would;  and 
besides  being  the  most  competent,  he  was  by  far  the  most 
willing  person  with  whom  I  had  much  to  do. 

Yet  this  obligation  did  not  in  the  slightest  degree  bind  me 
to  his  views  upon  any  question.  I  trust  I  need  not  say  at 
this  late  date  that  I  was  swayed  by  no  palpable  power  to  one 
side  or  another  in  my  writings.  Knowing  how  lavish 
Spaniards  are  of  their  praises,  how  absurdly  extravagant  their 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  215 

inflated  panegyrics  sound  to  Anglo-Saxon  ears,  and  how 
coldly  calculating  English  laudations  appear  to  them,  I  never 
hoped  to  please  Californians ;  I  never  thought  it  possible  to 
satisfy  them,  never  wrote  to  satisfy  them,  or,  indeed,  any  one 
class  or  person.  And  I  used  to  say  to  General  Vallejo : 
"  You  being  a  reasonable  man  will  understand,  and  will,  I 
hope,  believe  that  I  have  aimed  to  do  your  people  justice. 
But  they  will  not  as  a  class  think  so.  I  claim  to  have  no 
prejudices  as  regards  the  Hispano-Californians,  or  if  I  have 
they  are  all  in  their  favor.  Yet  you  will  agi-ee  with  me  that 
they  have  their  faults,  in  common  with  Englishmen,  Ameri- 
cans, and  all  men.  None  of  us  are  perfect,  as  none  of  us 
are  wholly  bad.  Now  nothing  less  than  superlative  and 
perpetual  encomiums  would  satisfy  your  countrymen,  I 
cannot  write  to  please  or  win  the  special  applause  of  race, 
sect,  or  party;  if  I  did  my  writings  would  be  worthless. 
Truth  alone  is  all  I  seek ;  that  I  will  stand  or  fall  by.  And 
I  believe  that  you,  General,  will  uphold  me  in  this." 

Thus  I  endeavored  to  prepare  his  mind  for  any  unwhole- 
some truths  which  he  might  see  ;  for  most  assuredly  I  should 
utter  them  as  they  came,  no  matter  who  might  be  the  sufferer 
or  what  the  cost. 

For  several  years,  while  busiest  in  the  collection  of  mate- 
rial, a  good  share  of  my  time  was  taken  up  in  conciliating 
those  whom  I  had  never  offended ;  that  is  to  say,  those  ancient 
children,  my  Hispano-Californian  aUies,  who  were  constantly 
coming  to  grief.  Some  of  them  were  jealous  of  me,  some 
jealous  of  each  other ;  all  by  nature  seemed  ready  to  raise 
their  voices  in  notes  of  disputatious  woe  upon  the  slightest 
provocation. 

For  example :  General  Vallejo  had  no  sooner  given  his 
papers  to  the  library  than  one  of  the  copyists  wrote  the 
notary  Ramon  de  Zaldo,  a  friend  of  Vallejo,  a  letter,  in  which 
he  called  in  question  the  general's  motives  in  thus  parting 
with  his  papers. 

"  It  was  to  gain  the  good-will  of  Mr.  Bancroft  that  these 
documents  were  thus  given  him,"  he  said,  "  and  consequently 


2l6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

we  may  expect  to  see  the  history  written  in  the  Vallejo  inter- 
est, to  the  detriment  of  other  CaUfomians." 

When  General  Vallejo  stepped  into  the  notary's  office  next 
morning,  Zaldo  showed  him  the  letter.  Vallejo  was  very 
angry,  and  justly  so.  It  was  a  most  malicious  blow,  aimed 
at  the  general's  most  sensitive  spot. 

"  It  is  an  infamous  lie !  "  the  general  raved,  walking  up  and 
down  the  office.  "If  ever  an  act  of  mine  was  disinterested, 
and  done  from  pure  and  praiseworthy  motives,  this  was  such 
a  one.  What  need  have  I  to  court  Mr.  Bancroft's  favors? 
He  was  as  much  my  friend  before  I  gave  the  papers  as  he 
could  be.  There  was  not  the  slightest  intimation  of  a  com- 
pact. Mr.  Bancroft  is  not  to  be  influenced ;  nor  would  I 
influence  him  if  I  could.  I  felt  that  he  deserved  this  much 
at  my  hands ;  and  I  only  regret  that  my  limited  income  pre- 
vents me  from  supplementing  the  gift  with  a  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  to  help  to  carry  forward  the  good  work,  so  that 
the  burden  of  it  should  not  fall  whofly  on  one  man." 

Of  Cenuti's  jRamMugs  there  are  two  hundred  and  thirteen 
pages.  Portions  of  the  manuscript  are  exceedingly  amusing, 
particularly  to  one  acquainted  with  the  writer.  I  will  let  him 
speak  of  a  trip  to  San  Jose,  made,  by  him  in  June,  I  think, 

1874- 

"  A  few  days  after  my  arrival  in  San  Francisco  I  visited 
San  Jose,  well  supplied  with  letters  of  introduction  from  Gen- 
eral Vallejo.  My  first  steps  on  reaching  that  city  were  directed 
toward  the  Bernal  farm,  where  dwelt  an  aged  gentleman  who 
went  by  the  name  of  Francisco  Peralta,  but  whose  real  name 
I  could  not  ascertain.  I  gave  him  a  letter  of  introduction 
from  General  Vallejo.  He  read  it  three  or  four  times;  then 
he  went  to  a  drawer  and  from  among  some  rags  pulled  out  a 
splendid  English  translation  of  the  voyages  of  Father  Font. 
He  took  off  the  dust  from  the  manuscript,  then  handed  it  to 
me.  I  looked  at  it  for  a  few  moments  for  the  purpose  of 
making  sure  that  I  held  the  right  document.  Then  I  unbut- 
toned my  overcoat  and  placed  it  in  my  bosom. 

"  '  What  arc  you  doing,  my  friend?  '  shouted  Peralta. 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  21  7 

"  I  replied :  '  Estoy  poniendo  el  documento  en  lugar  de 
seguridad,  tengo  que  caminar  esta  noche  y  recelo  que  el 
sereno  lo  moje.' 

"  He  looked  astonished,  and  then  said :  '  I  will  not  allow 
you  to  take  it  away.  General  Vallejo  requested  that  I  should 
permit  you  to  copy  it.  That  I  am  willing  to  do ;  but  as  to 
giving  you  my  Font,  that  is  out  of  the  question.' 

"  As  I  had  brought  along  with  me  a  botde  of  the  best 
brandy,  I  called  for  a  corkscrew  and  a  couple  of  glasses,  and 
having  lighted  a  segar  I  presented  my  companion  with  a  real 
Habana.  Having  accepted  it,  we  were  "soon  engaged  in 
conversation." 

The  writer  then  gives  a  sketch  of  the  settlement  and  early 
history  of  San  Jose  as  narrated  by  his  aged  companion. 
After  which  he  continues: 

"  I  then  tried  to  induce  Mr.  Peralta  to  give  me  a  few  details 
about  himself,  but  to  no  purpose.  I  kept  on  filling  his  glass 
till  the  bottle  was  emptied,  but  I  gained  nothing  by  the  trick, 
because  every  time  he  tasted  he  drank  the  health  of  General 
Vallejo,  and  of  course  I  could  not  conveniently  refuse  to 
keep  him  company.  The  clock  of  the  farm-house  having 
struck  two,  I  bid  adieu  to  Mr.  Peralta,  unfastened  my  horse 
that  had  remained  tied  to  a  post  during  five  hours,  and  then 
returned  to  San  Jose.  Of  course  I  brought  along  with  me 
the  venerable  Father  Font !  " 

When  I  learned  how  far  the  Italian  had  been  carried  by 
his  zeal  in  my  behalf,  I  returned  Peralta  the  book  with  ample 
apologies. 

Cerruti  now  proceeded  to  the  college  at  Santa  Clara,  and 
thus  describes  the  visit : 

"  With  reverential  awe,  cast-down  eyes,  and  studied  de- 
meanor of  meekness,  I  entered  the  edifice  of  learning.  As 
soon  as  the  gate  closed  behind  me  I  took  off  my  hat  and 
addressed  the  porter,  whom  I  requested  to  send  my  card  to 
the  reverend  father  director.  Having  said  that  much  I 
entered  the  parlor,  opened  a  prayer-book  that  happened  to 
be  at  hand,  and  began  to  read  the  Miserere  mei  Deiis  se- 


2l8  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

cundutn  magnam  viisericordlain  tuaiii,  which  Hnes  recalled  to 
my  mind  many  gloomy  thoughts;  for  the  last  time  I  had 
sung  these  solemn  sentences  was  at  the  funeral  of  President 
Melgarejo,  the  man  who  had  been  to  me  a  second  father. 
But  I  was  not  allowed  much  time  for  reflection,  because 
presently  a  tall  priest  of  pleasing  countenance  entered  the 
parlor,  beckoned  me  to  a  chair,  and  in  a  voice  that  reflected 
kindness  and  good-will  begged  of  me  to  explain  the  object 
which  had  procured  for  him  the  pleasure  of  my  visit.  I  then 
announced  myself  as  the  representative  of  the  great  historian, 
H.  Bancroft"  —  I  may  as  well  here  state  that  whenever Cer- 
ruti  mentioned  my  name  in  the  presence  of  strangers  there 
were  no  adjectives  in  any  language  too  lofty  to  employ  — 
"  notified  him  that  my  object  in  visiting  the  college  was  for 
the  purpose  of  having  a  fair  view  of  the  library  and  of  exam- 
ining the  manuscripts  it  contained.  I  likewise  assured  him 
that  though  the  history  was  not  written  by  a  member  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  yet  in  it  nothing  derogatory  to  the  Catholic 
faith  would  be  found.  I  added,  however,  that  the  bigoted 
priests  who  had  destroyed  the  Aztec  paintings,  monuments, 
and  hieroglyphics,  which  ought  to  have  been  preserved  for 
the  benefit  of  posterity,  would  be  censured  in  due  form,  and 
their  grave  sin  against  science  commented  upon  with  the 
severity  required.  He  reflected  a  moment  and  then  said : 
'  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should  object  to  have  the  truth  made 
known.  History  is  the  light  of  truth ;  and  when  an  impartial 
writer  undertakes  to  write  the  history  of  a  country  we  must 
not  conceal  a  single  fact  of  public  interest,' 

"  After  saying  this  he  left  the  room.  In  about  two  minutes 
he  returned  with  the  priest  who  had  charge  of  the  college  li- 
brary. He  introduced  his  subordinate  to  me  and  then  added: 
'  Father  Jacobo  will  be  happy  to  place  at  your  disposal  every 
book  and  manuscript  we  possess.'  The  father  superior  hav- 
ing retired,  I  engaged  in  conversation  with  the  librarian,  who 
forthwith  proceeded  to  the  library,  where  I  perceived  many 
thousand  books  arranged  upon  shelves,  but  found  only  a  few 
manuscripts.     Among  tlic  manuscripts  I  discovered  one  of 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  219 

about  eight  hundred  pages,  which  contained  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  founding  of  every  church  buih  in  Mexico  and 
Guatemala.  The  manuscript  was  not  complete;  the  first 
eighty  pages  were  missing.  There  were  also  a  few  pages  of 
a  diary  kept  by  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  San  Diego,  but  the 
rest  of  the  diary  was  missing.  I  copied  a  few  pages  from 
this  manuscript;  then  I  tied  together  every  document  I 
judged  would  be  of  interest  to  Mr.  Bancroft,  delivered  the 
package  to  the  father  librarian,  and  begged  of  him  to  see  the 
father  superior  and  request  his  permission  to  forward  the  bun- 
dle to  San  Francisco.  He  started  to  fulfil  my  request,  and 
assured  me  that  though  he  had  no  hope  of  success,  because 
it  was  against  the  rules  of  the  college,  he  would  make  known 
my  wishes  to  his  chief.  He  was  absent  half  an  hour,  when 
he  returned  bearing  a  negative  answer.  Among  other  things 
he  said  that  the  manuscripts  I  wanted  to  send  away  did  not 
belong  to  the  college,  but  were  the  property  of  some  pious 
person  who  had  placed  them  under  their  charge,  with  instruc- 
tions not  to  let  the  papers  go  out  of  their  possession.  I  felt 
convinced  that  my  reverend  countryman  was  telling  me  the 
truth,  so  I  abstained  from  urging  my  petition ;  but  I  limited 
myself  to  make  a  single  request,  namely,  that  he  would  be  so 
kind  as  to  keep  in  a  separate  place  the  package  I  had  pre- 
pared. He  agreed  to  it.  I  embraced  him  Italian  style,  and 
then  directed  my  steps  toward  the  residence  of  Mr.  Argiiello. 

"  I  rang  the  bell  of  the  stately  dwelling  in  which  the  de- 
scendant of  governors  dwelt,  and  having  been  ushered  into 
the  presence  of  Mr.  Argiiello,  I  stated  to  him  the  object  of 
my  visit.  He  listened  with  the  air  of  one  anxious  to  impress 
upon  my  mind  the  idea  that  I  stood  in  the  presence  of  a  very 
great  man. 

"  When  I  concluded  my  introductory  remarks,  he  said : 
'  Well,  well,  in  all  this  large  house,  by  far  the  best  one  in 
Santa  Clara,  there  does  not  exist  a  single  scrap  of  paper  that 
could  be  useful  to  an  historian.  I  once  found  a  great  many 
documents  that  had  been  the  property  of  my  grandfather, 
also  some  belonging  to  my  father,  but  I  have  set  fire  to  them ; 


220  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  encumbering  my  fine  dwelling  with 
boxes  containing  trash,  so  I  got  rid  of  the  rubbish  by  burning 
the  whole  lot.' 

"  Without  uttering  another  word  except  the  usual  compli- 
ments, I  left  the  'best  house  in  Santa  Clara'  and  took  the 
road  that  led  to  the  telegraph  office,  and  there  addressed  a 
telegram  to  General  Mariano  G.  Vallejo,  requesting  his  pres- 
ence in  Santa  Clara.  I  took  that  step  because  I  believed  that 
Mr.  Argiiello  had  not  told  me  the  truth.  I  thought  it  so 
strange  that  a  son  who  had  reached  the  age  of  fifty  years 
should  be  so  stupid  as  to  burn  the  family  archives.  I  also 
began  to  fear  that  my  plain  talk  had  given  offence ;  therefore 
I  ventured  to  send  for  the  good  friend  of  Mr.  Bancroft,  hoping 
that  the  high  respect  in  which  Mr.  Argiiello  held  General 
Vallejo  would  induce  him  to  place  at  his  disposal  any  docu- 
ments he  might  have  in  the  house." 

The  widow  of  Luis  Antonio  Argiiello,  and  mother  of  the 
burner  of  the  family  archives  against  whom  Cerruti  had  taken 
a  violent  dislike,  received  General  Vallejo  with  open  arms, 
and  invited  the  two  generals  to  dine  with  her.  The  invita- 
tion was  accepted.  The  paper-burner  was  there,  watching 
the  visitors  very  closely.  When  dinner  was  nearly  over, 
Cerruti,  who  was  so  filled  with  wrath  toward  the  four-eyed 
Argiiello,  as  he  called  him,  that  he  found  little  place  for  food, 
exclaimed : 

"  Madame  Argiiello,  yesterday  I  asked  your  eldest  son  to 
allow  me  to  copy  the  family  archives ;  but  he  assured  me  that 
the  archives  and  every  other  document  of  early  days  had 
been  burned  by  his  orders.     Can  it  be  possible  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  sir,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  it  is  true,"  she  replied. 
"  And  as  she  called  to  witness  the  blessed  Virgin,"  continued 
Cerruti,  "  I  felt  convinced  that  such  was  the  case." 

The  two  generals  called  on  several  of  the  old  residents  in 
that  vicinity,  among  them  Captain  Fernandez,  who  freely 
gave  all  the  documents  in  his  possession,  and  furnished  a 
valuable  dictation.  C'aptain  West,  on  whom  they  next  called, 
at  their  request  sent  out  to  Lick's  mills  and  brought  in  the 


ITALIAN    STRATEGY.  221 

aboriginal   Marcelo,  who  laid  claim  to  one  hundred   and 
twenty  years  of  this  life. 

Gradually  working  south,  the  two  generals  did  not  stop 
until  they  had  reached  Monterey.  To  the  elder  there  was 
no  spot  in  the  country  so  pregnant  with  historical  events  as 
this  early  capital  of  California.  There  was  no  important  town 
so  little  changed  by  time  and  the  inroads  of  a  dominant  race 
as  Monterey.  There  General  Vallejo  was  at  once  thrown 
back  into  his  past.  Every  man  and  woman  was  a  volume  of 
unstrained  facts ;  hedges  and  thickets  bristled  with  intelli- 
gence; houses,  fences,  streets,  and  even  the  stones  in  them, 
each  had  its  tale  to  tell.  The  crows  cawed  history;  the 
cattle  bellowed  it,  and  the  sweet  sea  sang  it.  An  interesting 
chapter  could  easily  be  written  on  Cerruti's  report  of  what  he 
and  General  Vallejo  saw  and  did  during  this  visit  to  Monte- 
rey ;  but  other  affairs  more  pressing  claim  our  attention. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

GOVERNOR    ALVARADO. 

God  made  man  to  go  by  motives,  and  he  will  not  go  without  them, 
any  more  than  a  boat  without  steam  or  a  balloon  without  gas. 

—  Beccher. 

NEXT  among  the  Hispano-Californians  in  historical  impor- 
tance to  Mariano  G.  Vallejo  stood  his  nephew  Juan  B. 
Alvarj.do,  governor  of  CaUfomia  from  1836  to  1842.  At  the 
time  of  which  I  speak  he  Hved  in  a  plain  and  quiet  way  at 
San  Pablo,  a  small  retired  town  on  the  eastern  side  of  San 
Francisco  bay.  In  build  and  bearing  he  reminded  one  of 
the  first  Napoleon.  He  was  a  strong  man,  mentally  and 
physically.  Of  medium  stature,  his  frame  was  compact,  and 
well  forward  on  broad  shoulders  was  set  a  head  with  massive 
jawbones,  high  forehead,  and,  up  to  the  age  of  sixty,  bright 
intellectual  eyes. 

In  some  respects  he  was  the  ablest  officer  California  could 
boast  under  Mexican  regime.  He  was  born  in  1809,  which 
made  him  a  year  younger  than  his  uncle  General  Vallejo. 
Before  he  made  himself  governor  he  held  an  appointment  in 
the  custom-house,  and  had  always  been  a  prominent  and 
popular  man.  His  recollections  were  regarded  by  every  one 
as  very  important,  but  exceedingly  diflicult  to  obtain. 

First  of  all  he  must  be  brought  to  favor  my  undertaking; 
and  as  he  was  poor  and  proud,  in  ill  health,  and  bitter  against 
the  Americans,  this  was  no  easy  matter. 

Alvarado  had  been  much  less  Americanized  than  Vallejo ; 
he  had  mixed  little  with  the  new-comers,  and  could  speak 
their  language  scarcely  at  all.  In  common  with  all  his  coun- 
trymen he   fancied   he  had  been  badly  abused,  had  been 


GOVERNOR   ALVARADO.  223 

tricked  and  robbed  of  millions  of  dollars  which  he  had  never 
possessed,  and  of  hundreds  of  leagues  of  land  which  he  had 
neglected  to  secure  to  himself. 

Like  Vallejo,  Alvarado  had  often  been  importuned  for 
information  relative  to  early  affairs,  but  he  had  given  to  the 
world  less  than  his  uncle,  being  less  in  and  of  the  world  as 
it  existed  in  California  under  Anglo-American  domination. 
Surely,  one  would  think  so  able  a  statesman,  so  astute  a 
governor  as  Alvarado,  would  have  been  a  match  for  strag- 
glers iuto  his  territory,  or  even  for  the  blatant  lawyers  that 
followed  in  their  wake,  but  the  same  golden  opportunities 
that  Vallejo  and  the  rest  had  let  slip,  Alvarado  had  failed  to 
improve. 

Alvarado  was  a  rare  prize;  but  he  was  shrewd,  and  there 
could  be  but  little  hope  of  success  in  an  appeal  to  the  patriot- 
ism of  one  whose  country  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  hated 
strangers.  We  had  thought  Vallejo  suspicious  enough,  but 
Alvarado  was  more  so.  Then,  too,  the  former  governor  of 
California,  unlike  the  general,  was  not  above  accepting 
money;  not,  indeed,  as  a  reward  for  his  services,  but  as  a 
gift. 

Almost  as  soon  as  General  Vallejo  had  fairly  enlisted  in 
the  work  he  began  to  talk  of  Alvarado,  of  his  vast  knowledge 
of  things  Californian,  and  of  his  abiHty  in  placing  upon  paper 
character  and  events.  And  at  that  time,  in  regard  to  this 
work,  action  was  not  far  behind  impulse.  Vallejo  began  to 
importune  Alvarado,  first  by  letter,  then  in  person,  giving 
him  meanwhile  liberal  doses  of  Cerruti. 

On  one  occasion  the  governor  remarked  to  the  general : 
"  It  seems  you  insist  that  Mr.  Bancroft  is  to  be  our  Messiah, 
who  will  stop  the  mouth  of  babblers  that  insult  us.  I  am  of 
the  contrary  opinion  in  regard  to  this,  and  will  tell  you  why; 
I  do  not  believe  that  any  American,  a  well-educated  literary 
man,  will  contradict  what  the  ignorant  populace  say  of  the 
Californians,  from  the  fact  that  the  Cholada  Gringa,  or 
Yankee  scum,  are  very  numerous,  and  take  advantage  of  it 
to  insult  us,  as  they  are  many  against  few.     This  is  a  peculi- 


224  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

arity  of  the  American  people.  To  these  must  be  added  a 
great  number  of  Irish  and  German  boors,  who  unite  with 
them  in  these  assauUs.  ^\^ere  we  as  numerous  as  the  Chinese, 
it  is  clear  that  they  would  not  dare  to  be  wanting  in  respect 
to  us ;  but  we  are  merely  a  few  doves  in  the  claws  of  thou- 
sands of  hawks,  which  lay  mines  charged  with  legal  witcheries 
in  order  to  entrap  us," 

The  24th  of  August,  1874,  General  Vallejo  writes  Governor 
Alvarado :  "  From  the  death  of  Arrillaga  in  1814  to  the  year 
1846  there  is  much  material  for  history.  I  have  in  relation 
to  those  times  much  authentic  and  original  matter,  docu- 
ments which  no  one  can  refute.  To  the  eminent  writer  Hu- 
bert H.  Brancroft  I  have  given  a  ton  of  valuable  manuscripts, 
which  have  been  placed  in  chronological  order,  under  their 
proper  headings,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  labors  in  which  a 
dozen  literary  men  of  great  knowledge  are  actually  occu- 
pied. That  part  of  the  history  which  cannot  be  corroborated 
by  documentary  evidence  I  myself  can  vouch  for  by  referring 
to  my  memory ;  and  that  without  fear  of  straying  from  the 
truth  or  falling  into  anachronisms.  Besides,  my  having  been 
identified  with  upper  California  since  my  earliest  youth  is 
another  assistance,  as  in  no  less  degree  is  the  record  of  my 
public  life.  What  a  vast  amount  of  material !  No  one  has 
spoken,  nor  can  any  one  know  certain  facts  as  thou  and  I.  All 
the  Americans  who  have  dared  to  write  on  this  subject  have 
lied,  either  maliciously  or  through  ignorance."  This  letter  was 
accompanied  by  certain  questions  concerning  points  which 
the  writer  had  forgotten. 

Governor  Alvarado  replied  to  the  queries,  corroborating 
the  general's  views.  At  length  promises  were  extracted  from 
the  governor  that  he  would  write  a  history,  but  it  should  be 
for  his  family,  and  not  for  Mr.  Bancroft.  There  must  be 
something  of  importance  to  him  in  the  telling  of  his  story. 
If  there  was  money  in  it,  none  could  spend  it  better  than  he; 
if  reputation,  his  family  should  have  it. 

So  he  went  to  work  :  for  in  truth,  old  and  ill  as  he  was,  he 
had  more  working  power  and  pluck  than  any  of  them.     All 


GOVERNOR   ALVARADO.  225 

through  the  autumn  of  1874  he  wrote  history  as  his  health 
permitted,  being  all  the  while  in  correspondence  Avith  Cerruti 
and  Vallejo,  who  were  similarly  engaged,  sometimes  at  So- 
noma, and  sometimes  at  Monterey.  "  Up  to  date,"  he  writes 
Vallejo  the  4th  of  December,  "  I  have  arranged  two  hundred 
and  forty-one  pages,  in  twenty- one  chapters,  forming  only 
three  of  the  five  parts  into  which  I  have  divided  this  histor- 
ical compendium." 

Indeed,  for  a  long  time  past  Alvarado  had  been  taking  his- 
torical notes,  with  a  view  to  writing  a  history  of  California. 
These  notes,  however,  required  arranging  and  verifying,  and 
•in  his  feeble  health  it  was  with  great  difficulty  he  could  be  in- 
duced to  undertake  the  work.  In  writing  his  history  he  dis- 
played no  little  enthusiasm,  and  seemed  specially  desirous  of 
producing  a  valuable  record. 

"  General  Cerruti  asked  of  me  a  narration  of  the  events  of 
my  own  administration,"  again  he  says,  "  and  others  one  of 
Sola's  and  Arguello's.  These  matters  are  of  great  importance, 
and  taken  from  my  work  would  leave  little  of  value  remain- 
ing. However,  I  still  go  on  with  my  labors,  and  we  shall  see 
what  may  be  done  for  the  petitioners.  In  my  said  notes  I 
am  forming  a  chain  which  begins  at  Cape  San  Lucas  and 
extends  to  latitude  forty-two  north,  all  of  which  was  denom- 
inated Peninsula,  Territorio,  Provincia,  or  Dcpartamento,  de 
las  Califoniias,  under  the  difterent  governments  and  consti- 
tutions, as  well  as  Niieva  y  Vieja  California  and  Alia  y  Baja 
California.  I  begin  with  Cortes,  who  made  the  first  settle- 
ment in  Baja  California,  where  my  father  was  bom.  After- 
ward I  come  to  the  Jesuits,  and  these  expelled,  to  the 
Dominicans;  and  on  the  settlement  of  Alta  California  in 
1769  I  take  hold  of  the  Fernandinos,  accepting  as  true  what 
was  written  by  Father  Francisco  Palou  concerning  events  up 
to  1784  in  his  work  entitled  Noticias  de  las  Misiones.  Thence 
I  follow  my  chain  till  1848,  when  Mexico,  through  cowardice, 
fear,  or  fraud,  sold  our  native  land  to  the  United  States.  In 
order  to  go  on  with  this  work,  I  must  verify  certain  dates  and 
references.     Finally,  as  regards  the  frontier  of  Sonoma,  that 

15 


226  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

remains  at  your  disposition,  as  I  have  indicated  in  my  notes, 
for  I  am  not  well  acquainted  with  the  events  which  occurred 
there  after  1834,  when  Figueroa  sent  you  to  direct  the  colo- 
nization of  that  section  of  country.  There  you  had  for  near 
neighbors  the  Russians,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and 
were  a  sentinel  placed  to  watch  that  they  did  not  cross  the 
line." 

Every  effort  was  now  made  to  beat  down  Governor  Alva- 
rado's  scruples  and  induce  him  to  dictate  a  complete  history 
of  the  country  for  my  use.  Considering  his  age,  the  state  of 
his  health,  and  the  condition  of  his  eyes,  which  troubled  him 
much  of  the  time,  he  was  making  no  small  progress.  In  this 
way  he  worked  imtil  his  manuscript  reached  three  hundred 
and  sixty-four  pages,  but  all  the  time  persisted  that  Bancroft 
should  have  nothing  from  him. 

General  Vallejo  then  employed  every  argument  in  his 
power  to  induce  Alvarado  to  take  his  place  in  this  history. 
"  Come  forward  and  refute  your  slanderers,"  he  said,  "  not 
hang  back  and  waste  your  breath  in  harmless  growls  at  them." 
And  again,  "  If  things  are  wrong,  not  only  go  to  work  and 
endeavor  to  make  them  right,  but  do  it  in  the  best  and  most 
effectual  way."  The  governor  was  several  times  brought  to 
the  library,  where  Oak  and  myself  might  supplement  Valle- 
jo's  and  Cerruti's  efforts.  Finally  the  general  so  far  prevailed 
as  to  exact  the  promise  desired.  Alvarado  also  lent  Vallejo 
his  manuscript,  and  the  latter  sent  it,  unknown  to  Alvarado, 
for  inspection  to  the  library,  where  it  remained  for  some  time. 

Cerruti  did  not  fancy  the  task  of  writing  a  second  large 
history  of  California.  "  I  wish  you  would  get  some  person 
of  your  confidence,"  he  writes  me  from  Sonoma  the  27th  of 
November,  1874,  "to  take  down  the  dictation  of  Governor 
Alvarado,  because  I  cannot  do  it.  My  private  affairs  will 
not  allow  me  to  spend  one  or  two  years  at  San  Pablo,  a  dull 
place,  as  bad  as  Sonoma."  Nevertheless,  Alvarado  insisting 
upon  his  attendance,  Cerruti  was  finally  induced  to  under- 
take the  work  on  my  permitting  him  to  rent  a  room,  bring 
Alvarado  to  the  city,  and  take  his  dictation  in  San  Francisco, 


GOVERNOR   ALVARADO.  227 

I  paying  hotel  bills  and  all  other  expenses,  besides  keeping 
the  governor's  historical  headquarters  plentifully  supplied 
with  liquors  and  cigars. 

But  this  was  not  all.  I  had  told  Alvarado  plainly  that  I 
would  not  pay  him  for  his  information ;  indeed,  he  never 
asked  me  to  do  so.  He  would  accept  nothing  in  direct  pay- 
ment, but  he  was  determined  to  make  the  most  of  it  indi- 
rectly. Twenty  thousand  dollars  he  would  have  regarded 
as  a  small  sum  for  his  literary  service  to  me,  measured  by 
money ;  hence  all  I  could  do  for  him  must  be  insignificant  as 
compared  with  my  obligation. 

Again  on  the  nth  of  December,  1874,  Cerruti  writes  from 
Sonoma :  "  With  reference  to  Governor  Alvarado  I  beg  to 
observe  that  I  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  cajole  him.  In 
my  letter  of  October  20th  I  expressed  myself  to  the  effect 
that  I  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  spend  five  or  six  thou- 
sand dollars  to  get  his  dictation ;  because,  with  the  exception 
of  the  notes  referring  to  Lower  California,  written  by  his 
father,  and  a  few  incidents  which  transpired  at  Monterey 
while  General  Vallejo  was  absent  from  that  place,  the  whole 
of  California's  history  will  be  fully  embodied  in  the  Recucrdos 
Histoncos  of  General  Vallejo,  and  I  did  not  see  why  you 
should  wish  for  Governor  Alvarado's  dictation.  Such  were 
my  views  on  the  24th  of  October;  but  owing  to  a  letter 
received  afterward,  and  the  Avish  often  expressed  by  General 
Vallejo  that  I  should  maintain  friendly  relations  with  Gov- 
ernor Alvarado,  I  corresponded  with  him  till  the  receipt  of 
the  letter  which  I  forwarded  to  you  last  Wednesday.  Since 
then  I  have  abstained  from  writing,  for  I  did  not  know  what 
to  write.  You  will  not  miss  Alvarado's  notes  on  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, because  General  Vallejo  has  already  written  to  Lower 
California  to  Mr.  Gilbert,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  will 
get  many  documents  from  him." 

The  fact  was,  as  I  have  said,  Cerruti  did  not  covet  the 
task  of  writing  to  Alvarado's  dictation,  and  General  Vallejo 
could  be  easily  reconciled  to  the  omission  of  a  record  which 
might  tend  in  his  opinion  to  lessen  the  importance  of  his 


228  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

own.  In  regard  to  Alvarado's  history  Mr.  Oak  thought 
differently,  as  the  following  reference  in  Cerruti's  letter  will 
show : 

"  I  do  not  look  at  the  matter  of  Governor  Alvarado  as  you 
do,"  he  writes  Cerruti  the  24th  of  October.  "  I  think  we 
ought  to  have  his  dictation  at  some  time,  even  if  it  is  a 
repetition  of  what  General  Vallejo  writes.  But  perhaps  it  is 
as  well  that  you  have  declined  the  invitation  to  San  Pablo 
for  the  present,  for  General  Vallejo's  dictation  is  certainly 
more  important  than  all  else.  Besides,  Mr.  Bancroft  will  be 
here  during  the  coming  week,  and  can  then  himself  decide 
the  matter." 

At  this  juncture  came  a  request  from  Alvarado.  He  had 
a  boy  for  whom  he  wished  to  find  employment  in  the  store. 
Anxious  to  obtain  his  history,  I  was  ready  to  do  anything 
which  he  might  reasonably  or  even  unreasonably  ask.  Alva- 
rado wrote  Vallejo  requesting  his  influence  with  me  on  behalf 
of  his  son.  As  soon  as  their  wishes  were  made  known  to  me 
by  Cerruti  I  sent  for  the  young  man,  and  he  was  assigned  a 
place  in  the  publishing  house. 

The  boy  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  had  about  as 
much  of  an  idea  of  business,  and  of  applying  himself  to  it,  as 
a  gray  squirrel.  The  manager  endeavored  to  explain  to  him 
somewhat  the  nature  of  the  life  now  before  him.  Success 
would  depend  entirely  upon  himself  The  house  could  not 
make  a  man  of  him ;  all  it  could  do  was  to  give  him  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  a  man  of  liimself  At  first,  of  course,  know- 
ing nothing  of  business,  his  services  would  be  worth  but  little 
to  the  business.  As  at  school,  a  year  or  two  would  be  occu- 
pied in  learning  the  rudiments,  and  much  lime  would  be 
occupied  in  teaching.  For  such  business  tuition  no  charge 
was  made;  in  fact  the  firm  would  pay  him  a  small  salary 
from  the  beginning.  The  lad  was  bright  and  intelligent,  and 
.seemed  to  comprehend  the  situation,  expressing  himself  as 
satisfied  with  what  I  had  done  for  him. 

A  few  days  afterward  I  learned  that  the  boy  was  back  at 
San  Pablo,  and  that  a  general  howl  had  been  raised  among 


GOVERNOR   ALVARADO.  229 

his  countrymen  on  account  of  alleged  hard  treatment  of  the 
boy  by  the  house ;  in  fact  his  position  had  been  worse  than 
that  of  a  Chinaman.  He  was  made  to  work,  to  wait  on 
people  like  a  servant,  to  pack  boxes,  fold  papers,  and  carry 
bundles.  As  a  matter  of  course  the  old  governor  was  very 
angry. 

I  was  greatly  chagrined,  for  I  feared  all  was  now  lost 
with  Alvarado.  Instituting  inquiries  into  the  boy's  case,  I 
learned  that  in  view  of  the  governor's  attitude  toward  the 
library,  and  the  little  need  for  the  boy's  services,  he  had  been 
assigned  a  very  easy  place,  and  treated  with  every  courtesy. 
Unluckily  some  lad  from  the  printing-office,  meeting  him  on 
the  stairs  soon  after  he  began  work,  had  made  a  remark  at 
which  he  took  offence. 

That  was  enough.  The  boy  immediately  wrote  his  father 
that  the  manager  of  the  Bancroft  establishment  had  assigned 
him  a  position  beneath  that  of  a  Mongolian.  It  was  the  old 
story  of  race  persecution.  All  the  people  of  the  United 
States  had  conspired  to  crush  the  native  Californians,  and 
this  was  but  another  instance  of  it.  Young  Alvarado  was 
immediately  ordered  home;  he  should  not  remain  another 
moment  where  he  was  so  treated.  It  required  the  utmost 
efforts  of  Vallejo  and  Cerruti  to  smooth  the  ruffled  pride  of 
the  governor. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

CLOSE  OF  THE  CERRUTl-VALLEJO  CAMPAIGN. 

To  gather  in  this  great  harvest  of  truth  was  no  light  or  speedy  work. 
His  notes  already  made  a  formidable  range  of  volumes,  but  the  crowning 
task  would  be  to  condense  these  voluminous  still-accumulating  results, 
and  bring  them  like  the  earlier  vintage  of  Hippocratic  books  to  fit  a 
little  shelf. — George  Eliot. 

FOR  about  two  and  a  half  years  Generals  Cerruti  and 
Vallejo  applied  themselves  to  my  work  with  a  devotion 
scarcely  inferior  to  my  own :  the  former  meanwhile  with  some 
assistance  carrying  forward  to  completion  the  history  by 
Alvarado.  Under  the  benign  influence  of  the  elder  general, 
the  quick  impatient  temper  of  the  Itahan  was  so  subdued 
that  he  was  at  length  kept  almost  continuously  at  confining, 
plodding  work,  which  secretly  he  abhorred.  He  preferred 
revolutionizing  Costa  Rica  to  writing  a  hundred-page  dic- 
tation. Yet  I  am  sure  for  my  work  he  entertained  the  highest 
respect,  and  for  me  true  personal  regard. 

But  after  all  it  was  his  affection  for  General  Vallejo  which 
bound  him  so  long  to  this  work.  His  esteem  for  the  sage  of 
Sonoma  was  unbounded ;  his  devotion  was  more  than  Bos- 
wellian ;  it  approached  the  saintly  degree.  He  would  follow 
him  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  cheerfully  undertaking  any- 
thing for  him ;  and  almost  before  Vallejo's  wish  Avas  expressed 
Cerruti  had  it  accomplished.  Yet  withal  the  Italian  never 
sank  into  the  position  of  servant.  He  was  as  quick  as  ever 
to  resent  a  fancied  slight,  and  Vallejo  himself,  in  order  to 
maintain  his  influence  over  him,  must  needs  humor  many 
vagaries. 

It  was  not  a  little  strange  to  see  these  two  men,  so  Avidely 
separated,  both  in  their  past  actions  and  in  their  present 


CLOSE    OF    THE    CERRUTI-VALLEJO    CAMPAIGN.  23 1 

ambitions,  fired  by  the  same  enthusiasm,  and  that  by  reason 
of  a  conception  which  was  not  theirs,  and  from  which  neither 
of  them  could  hope  for  any  great  or  tangible  personal  bene- 
fit; and  that  it  should  last  so  long  was  most  remarkable  of 
all.  In  reality  they  continued  until  their  Avork  was  finished ; 
and  although  neither  of  them  had  been  accustomed  to  con- 
tinuous application  in  any  direction,  they  labored  as  long  and 
as  diligently  each  day  as  natives  of  more  northern  climes  are 
wont  to  apply  themselves.  During  the  years  1874-6  the 
time  of  the  two  generals  was  divided  between  Sonoma,  San 
Francisco,  and  Monterey,  and  in  making  divers  excursions 
from  these  places. 

No  sooner  was  it  known  that  General  Vallejo  was  writing 
history  for  me  than  he  was  besieged  by  an  army  of  applicants 
suddenly  grown  history-hungry.  In  a  letter  dated  Sonoma, 
8th  of  December,  1874,  Cerruti  says:  "  General  Vallejo  and 
I  will  go  to  the  city  next  week.  Historical  men,  newspaper 
scribblers,  and  all  sorts  of  curious  persons  are  daily  address- 
ing letters  to  the  general  asking  for  information.  He  is 
really  bothered  to  death.  I  enclose  one  of  the  petitions  so 
you  may  judge  of  the  style  of  persecution  he  is  subject  to. 
On  hand  one  hundred  pages  of  manuscript  which  I  consider 
very  interesting.  Mr.  Thompson,  of  the  Democrat,  is  in  pos- 
session of  a  large  amount  of  useful  information  with  reference 
to  the  Russian  settlements  of  Bodega  and  Ross.  He  has 
been  collecting  material  for  ten  years,  during  which  time  he 
has  interviewed  nearly  sixty  ancient  settlers."  Mr.  Thomp- 
son very  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal  his  entire  material. 
His  sketches  he  had  taken  in  short -hand,  and  at  my  request 
.  he  had  the  more  important  written  out  and  sent  to  me. 

From  Monterey,  the  6th  of  January,  1875,  Vallejo  wrote 
as  follows :  "  General  Cerruti  and  I  go  on  writing  and  col- 
lecting documents  for  the  history,  and  since  our  arrival  have 
written  over  one  hundred  pages.  We  have  many  venerable 
documents,  which  I  have  not  yet  looked  over,  for  this  dic- 
tating   and    narrating  reminiscences  stupefies  the  memory. 


232  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Moreover,  I  have  to  give  attention  to  visitors,  who  sometimes 
occupy  my  time,  but  who  are  necessary  when  the  history  of 
their  days  and  mine  is  written,  and  whom  I  need  in  order  to 
keep  my  promise  of  aiding  you.  I  think  you  would  do  well 
to  come  down  here ;  for  although  there  are  no  such  living 
accommodations  as  in  San  Francisco,  lodgings  are  not  want- 
ing, and  thus  you  would  change  your  routine  of  study  life, 
j  Here  exist  two  barrels  of  old  papers  belonging  to  Manuel 
I  Castro,  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain,  because  it  is 
intended  to  profit  by  them.  However,  if  you  show  yourself 
indifferent,  it  is  probable  that  you  may  obtain  them  at  small 
expense  —  that  is,  provided  Hittell,  or  others  who  take  an 
interest  in  old  pajDers,  do  not  cross  you.  Make  use  of  a  very 
Yankee  policy,  and  within  two  months  you  will  be  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  richest  collection  in  existence  with  reference  to 
upper  California.  In  the  archives  of  Salinas  City,  of  which 
my  nephew  has  charge,  many  documents  exist.  He  has 
,  promised  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  aid  your  undertaking." 
'  The  Hartnell  papers  were  regarded  as  of  great  impor- 
tance, and  General  Vallejo  could  not  rest  until  they  were 
secured  for  the  library.  Hartnell  was  an  Englishman,  who 
had  come  to  California  at  an  early  date,  and  had  married  an 
hija  del  pais,  Teresa  de  la  Guerra,  by  whom  he  had  been 
made  twenty-five  times  a  father.  Failing  as  a  merchant  at 
Monterey,  in  company  with  the  Reverend  Patrick  Short  he 
opened  a  boys'  academy  at  El  Alisal,  his  residence  near  that 
place.  He  was  appointed  visitador  geficral  de  misiones  by 
Governor  Alvarado,  and  after  the  arrival  of  the  Americans 
was  for  a  time  state  interpreter.  He  was  regarded  by  many 
as  the  most  intelligent  foreigner  who  up  to  that  time  had 
arrived  on  this  shore.  Applying  to  the  widow  of  Mr.  Hart- 
nell, General  Vallejo  received  the  following  very  Avelcome 
reply :  "  Although  most  of  the  papers  left  by  Don  Guillermo 
have  been  lost,  it  may  be  that  among  the  few  which  I  still 
preserve  some  may  be  of  use  to  thee.  But  as  to  this  thou 
canst  know  better  than  I ;  perhaps  it  were  well  that  thou 
comest  to  see  tliem.     Tlie   papers  which  I  have  arc  at  thy 


CLOSE   OF   THE    CERRUTI-VALLEJO    CAMPAIGN.  233 

disposal."  TRe  collection  of  documents  thus  so  modestly- 
valued  and  so  cheerfully  given  proved  to  be  of  great  value, 
and  were  duly  bound  and  accredited  to  the  former  owner. 

Hearing  of  a  deposit  of  important  papers  some  sixty  miles 
from  Monterey,  the  6th  of  March  General  Vallejo  sent  Cer- 
ruti  to  secure  them.  Nine  days  later  Vallejo  writes  as  fol- 
lows :  "  To-day  I  send  you  a  trunk  full  of  documents  of 
very  great  historic  value.  Do  me  the  favor  to  charge  your 
assistants  not  to  open  it  before  my  return  to  San  Francisco, 
for  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  give  certain  explanations  before 
making  you  a  present  of  its  contents.  However,  from  this 
moment  count  on  the  documents  as  belonging  to  yourself; 
and  if  I  die  upon  the  journey,  make  such  disposition  of  the 
trunk  and  the  papers  which  it  contains  as  may  seem  good  to 
you.  The  young  man  Biven,  whom  in  days  past  I  recom- 
mended to  you,  is,  I  hear,  given  to  drinking;  but  I  also 
know  that  he  has  many  ancient  documents,  a  trunkful,  which 
belonged  to  his  deceased  grandfather,  Ainza.  It  seems  to 
me  that  some  diplomacy  is  necessary  in  order  to  secure  them, 
though  he  promised  at  San  Francisco  to  give  me  them." 

Wherever  he  might  be,  Cerruti  was  unremitting  in  his  la- 
bors. The  29th  of  July  he  writes  from  Monterey :  "  I  enclose 
an  article  written  in  the  Spanish  language,  which  I  believe 
ought  to  be  translated  into  English.  I  am  certain  it  would 
do  a  great  deal  of  good.  To-day  General  Vallejo  has  re- 
ceived a  lot  of  documents  from  Soledad." 

And  again  the  3d  of  August :  "  Yesterday  we  heard  of  the 
existence  of  a  large  collection  of  historical  documents."  Be- 
ing engaged  in  another  direction,  it  was  resolved  to  send  a 
third  person  in  quest  of  these  papers  immediately ;  and  a  few 
days  later  I  received  intelligence :  "  The  envoy  of  General 
Vallejo  left  to-day  for  San  Luis  Obispo." 

While  the  warmest  friendship  existed  between  the  two  gen- 
erals during  the  whole  of  their  intercourse,  they  were  not  with- 
out their  little  differences.  General  Vallejo  used  to  say  to 
me :  "  Cerruti  wishes  to  hurry  me,  and  I  will  not  be  hurried. 


234  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Often  he  solemnly  assures  me  that  Mr.  Bancroft  will  not  be 
satisfied  unless  a  certain  number  of  pages  are  written  every 
week ;  and  I  ask  him  who  is  writing  this  history,  myself  or 
Mr.  Bancroft  ?  "  On  the  other  hand,  Cerruti  in  his  more 
petulant  moods  frequently  dropped  words  of  dissatisfaction. 
"You  cannot  conceive,"  he  writes  me  the  i8th  of  August 
from  Monterey,  "  how  pleased  I  shall  be  when  the  work  is 
complete.  It  has  caused  me  many  unhappy  moments  and 
many  sacrifices  of  pride."  On  a  former  occasion  he  had 
complained  :  "  The  parish  priest  of  Monterey  has  brought  to 
our  office  the  books  of  his  parish.  I  could  make  a  good 
many  extracts  from  them,  but  I  will  not  undertake  the  task 
because  I  am  in  a  very  great  hurry  to  leave  Monterey.  I  am 
heartily  sick  of  the  whole  work,  and  I  wish  it  was  already  fin- 
ished. This  town  is  like  a  convent  of  friars,  and  the  sooner 
I  leave  it  the  better.  If  I  remain  in  it  a  month  longer  I  will 
become  an  old  man.  I  see  only  old  people,  converse  as  to 
days  gone  by.  At  my  meals  I  eat  history;  my  bed  is  made 
of  old  documents,  and  I  dream  of  the  past.  Yet  I  would 
cheerfully  for  your  sake  stand  the  brunt  of  hard  times  were 
it  not  that  your  agents  have  wounded  me  in  my  pride,  the 
only  vulnerable  point  in  my  whole  nature." 

The  Italian  was  very  ambitious  to  show  results,  and  fre- 
quently complained  that  Vallejo  insisted  too  much  on  tearing 
up  each  day  a  portion  of  the  manuscript  which  had  been 
written  the  day  before.  This  present  effort  at  Monterey 
lasted  one  month  and  two  days,  during  which  time  three 
hundred  pages  were  completed.  On  the  other  hand,  three 
months  would  sometimes  slip  by  with  scarcely  one  hundred 
pages  written. 

In  bringing  from  Santa  Cruz  two  large  carpet-bags  filled 
with  documents  collected  in  that  vicinity,  by  some  means 
they  were  lost  in  landing  at  San  Francisco.  Vallejo  was 
chagrined ;  Cerruti  raved.  The  steamship  company  was 
informed  that  unless  the  papers  were  recovered  the  wheels 
of  Californian  affairs  would  cease  to  revolve.  The  pohce 
were  notified;  searchers  were  sent  out  in  every  direction; 


CLOSE    OF    THE    CERRUTI-VALLEJO    CAMPAIGN.  235 

the  offer  of  a  liberal  reward  was  inserted  in  the  daily  papers. 
Finally,  after  two  days  of  agony,  the  lost  documents  were 
found  and  safely  lodged  in  the  library. 

Notwithstanding  he  was  at  the  time  suffering  from  serious 
illness,  Jose  de  Jesus  Vallejo,  brother  of  General  Vallejo, 
gave  me  a  very  valuable  dictation  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  pages,  taken  at  his  residence  at  Mission  San 
Jose.  The  author  of  this  contribution  was  bom  at  San  Jose 
in  1798,  and  in  his  later  years  was  administrator  of  the  mis- 
sion of  that  name. 

"The  priest  of  this  mission,"  writes  Cerruti  the  nth  of 
April,  1875,  "  the  Very  Reverend  Father  Cassidy,  has  kindly 
loaned  me  the  mission  books.  They  are  seven  in  number. 
From  six  of  them  I  will  make  extracts.  Number  seven  is 
very  interesting,  and  according  to  my  opinion  ought  to  be 
copied  in  full." 

The  next  day  Mr.  Oak  wrote  me  from  San  Francisco  —  I 
was  at  Oakville  at  the  time  —  "General  Vallejo  came  to 
town  the  last  of  this  week,  summoned  by  a  telegram  stating 
that  his  brother  was  dying.  He  and  Cerruti  immediately  left 
for  Mission  San  Jose.  Cerruti  has  been  back  once  and 
reports  great  success  in  getting  documents.  The  chief  diffi- 
culty seems  to  be  to  keep  the  general  from  killing  his 
brother  with  historical  questionings.  He  fears  his  brother 
may  die  without  telling  him  all  he  knows.  Cerruti  brings  a 
book  from  the  Mission  which  can  be  kept  for  copying.  It 
seems  of  considerable  importance.  It  will  make  some  two 
weeks'  work,  and  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  employ  Piiia,  the 
best  of  the  old  hands,  to  do  the  work." 

Again,  the  i8th  of  April,  from  Mission  San  Jose,  Cerruti 
writes :  "  Besides  the  dictation,  I  have  on  hand  many  docu- 
ments and  old  books.  I  am  told  that  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
IMission  are  to  be  found  many  old  residents  who  have  docu- 
ments, but  I  abstain  from  going  after  them  because  the 
travelling  expenses  are  very  high,  and  not  having  seen 
the  documents  I  cannot  judge  whether  they  are  Avorth  the 
expense.     Among  others,  they  say  that  at  the  Milpitas  ran- 


236  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

cho  lives  a  native  Californian,  called  Crisostomo  Galindo, 
who  is  one  hundred  and  three  years  old,  and  is  supposed  to 
be  the  possessor  of  documents.  Shall  I  go  to  see  him  ?  " 
A  week  later  he  says :  "  The  dictation  of  Don  Jose  de  Jesus 
Vallejo  is  progressing  a  great  deal  faster  than  I  had  antici- 
pated. I  have  been  with  him  seven  days  and  have  already 
on  hand  seventy  pages  of  nearly  three  hundred  words  each." 

Thomas  O.  Larkin  was  United  States  consul  at  Monterey 
when  California  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States ;  he 
was  then  made  naval  agent.  Born  at  Charlestown,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1802,  he  came  hither  in  1832  as  supercargo  of  a 
Boston  trading  vessel,  and  was  subsequently  quite  successful 
as  general  merchant  and  exporter  of  lumber.  He  made  the 
models  for  the  first  double-geared  wheat-mill  at  Monterey 
at  a  time  when  only  ship-carpenters  could  be  found  there. 
Wishing  to  take  a  wife,  and  as  a  Protestant  being  outside  the 
pale  of  Catholic  matrimony,  he  went  with  the  lady  on  board 
a  vessel  on  the  Californian  coast,  and  was  married  under  the 
United  States  flag  by  J.  C.  Jones,  then  United  States  consul 
at  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

In  1845  President  Polk  commissioned  him  to  sound  the 
Californians  as  to  change  of  flag,  and  during  the  year  fol- 
lowing he  was  active  in  his  exertions  to, secure  California  to 
the  United  States ;  and  for  his  fidelity  and  zeal  in  these  and 
other  matters  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  president. 

Into  the  hands  of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Larkin  during  the 
course  of  these  years  naturally  would  fall  many  important 
papers,  and  we  should  expect  him  to  be  possessed  of  suffi- 
cient intelligence  to  appreciate  their  value  and  to  preserve 
them.  Nor  were  we  disappointed.  At  his  death  Mr.  Larkin 
left  a  large  and  very  valuable  mass  of  documents,  besides 
a  complete  record  of  his  official  correspondence  from  1844 
to  1849.  This  record  comprised  two  very  large  folio  vol- 
umes, afterward  bound  in  one. 

Charles  H.  Sawyer,  attorney  for  certain  of  the  heirs  of 
Thomas  O.  Larkin,  and  always  a  warm  friend  of  the  library, 


CLOSE    OF   THE    CERRUTI-VALLEJO    CAMPAIGN.  237 

first  called  my  attention  to  the  existence  of  these  most  im- 
portant archives.  He  had  made  copies  of  a  few  of  them 
selected  for  that  purpose,  and  the  blank-book  in  which  such 
selections  had  been  transcribed  Mr.  Sawyer  kindly  presented. 
Mr.  Larkin's  papers,  he  assured  me,  would  be  most  difficult 
to  obtain,  even  should  the  heirs  be  inclined  to  part  witli 
them,  since  one  was  at  the  east  and  another  too  ill  to  be 
seen. 

Accompanied  by  Cerruti,  I  called  on  Mr.  Alfred  Larkin, 
one  of  the  sons,  whose  office  was  then  on  Merchant  street. 
I  was  received  in  the  most  cordial  manner.  The  papers, 
he  said,  were  beyond  his  control.  He  would  use  his  best 
endeavors  to  have  them  placed  in  my  hands.  As  the  result 
of  this  interview  I  secured  the  record  books,  than  which 
nothing  could  be  more  important  in  the  history  of  that  epoch. 

Some  time  passed  before  anything  further  was  accom- 
plished, but  in  the  mean  time  I  never  lost  sight  of  the 
matter.  These  papers  should  be  placed  on  my  shelves  as  a 
check  on  the  Alvarado  and  Vallejo  testimony.  At  length  I 
learned  that  Mr.  Sampson  Tams,  a  very  intelligent  and 
accomplished  gentleman  who  had  married  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Larkin,  had  full  possession  and  control  of  all  the  Larkin 
archives.  I  lost  no  time  in  presenting  my  request,  and  was 
seconded  in  my  efforts  by  several  friends.  The  result  was 
that  with  rare  and  most  commendable  liberality  Mr.  Tams 
presented  me  with  the  entire  collection,  which  now  stands 
upon  the  shelves  of  my  library  in  the  form  of  nine  large 
volumes. 

While  engaged  in  my  behalf  at  Monterey,  General  Val- 
lejo's  enthusiasm  often  waxed  so  warm  as  almost  to  carry 
him  away.  Shortly  before  the  suspension  of  the  Bank  of  Cali- 
fornia he  had  thought  seriously  of  going  south  on  a  literary 
mission.  "  I  have  hopes  of  getting  together  many  ancient 
documents  from  persons  at  Los  Angeles  who  have  promised 
to  aid  me,"  he  writes  the  13th  of  July;  and  again,  the  27th 
of  August :  "  I  assure  you  that  two  or  three  weeks  since  I 
resolved  upon  the  journey  to  San  Diego,  stopping  at  all  the 


238  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

missions.  This  I  had  resolved  to  do  at  my  own  proper  cost, 
without  your  being  obliged  to  spend  more  money ;  for  to  me 
it  would  be  a  great  pleasure  to  give  this  additional  proof  of 
the  interest  I  take  in  your  great  work.  Until  yesterday  such 
was  my  intention ;  but  this  morning  I  find  myself  obliged  to 
abandon  it,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  Bank  of  Cali- 
fornia, which  renders  it  necessary  for  me  to  return  to  San 
Francisco  in  order  to  arrange  my  affairs.  I  have  endeavored 
to  persuade  Cerruti  to  undertake  the  journey,  I  furnishing 
him  with  letters  of  introduction  to  all  my  friends,  but  he  has 
refused  to  venture  into  deep  water,  until  the  conclusion  of  the 
Historia  de  California  which  I  am  dictating.  I  know  that 
CeiTuti  always  desires  to  avoid  expense  without  some  cor- 
responding benefit  to  yourself." 

The  original  proposal  was  for  General  Vallejo  to  bring  his 
history  down  to  the  year  1846,  the  end  of  Mexican  domina- 
tion in  California.  Writing  from  Monterey  the  27  th  of  August 
he  says :  "  By  the  3d  of  September  I  shall  have  finished  the 
fourth  volume  of  the  Historia  de  California;  that  is  to  say, 
the  whole  history  down  to  1846,  the  date  which  I  proposed 
as  its  termination,  at  the  time  when,  yielding  to  your  entrea- 
ties, I  undertook  to  write  my  recollections  of  the  country. 
But  in  these  latter  days  I  have  managed  to  interest  General 
Frisbie  and  other  important  personages  acquainted  with 
events  in  California  from  1846  to  1850,  so  that  they  agree  to 
contribute  their  contingent  of  light ;  and  I  have  resolved  to 
bring  my  history  down  to  this  later  date,  in  case  you  should 
deem  it  necessary.  It  is  my  intention  to  go  to  Vallejo,  where 
in  the  course  of  three  or  four  weeks  I  trust  to  be  able  to  give 
the  finishing  stroke  to  my  work,  which  I  trust  will  merit  the 
approbation  of  yourself  and  other  distinguished  writers." 

"  I  have  caused  Captain  Cayetano  Juarez  to  come  to 
Lachryma  Montis,"  says  General  Vallejo  in  a  letter  from 
Sonoma  dated  the  4th  of  October,  •'  in  order  that  he  may 
aid  me  to  write  all  which  appertains  to  the  evil  doings  of 
the  '  Bears'  in  1846-7.  Captain  Juarez,  who  was  a  witness 
present  at  the  time,  and  a  truthful  and  upright  man,  and 


CLOSE    OF   THE    CERRUTI-VALLEJO    CAMPAIGN.  239 

myself  are  engaged  in  recalling  all  those  deeds  just  as  they 
occurred.  What  I  relate  is  very  distinct  from  what  has  been 
hitherto  published  by  writers  who  have  desired  to  represent 
as  heroes  the  men  who  robbed  me  and  my  countrymen 
of  our  property.  American  authors  desire  to  excuse  those 
robbers  with  the  pretext  that  in  some  cases  the  'Bear'  cap- 
tains gave  receipts  for  the  articles  of  which  they  took  for- 
cible possession ;  but  as  those  receipts  were  worthless,  the 
Califomians  have  the  right  to  say  that  the  '  Bears,'  or  a 
majority  of  them,  were  robbers." 

A\'ar's  alarum  always  threw  the  mercurial  and  mettlesome 
Cerruti  into  a  state  of  excitement,  which  rose  to  the  verge  of 
frenzy  when  his  old  field  of  revolutionary  failures  was  the 
scene  of  action.  Even  rumors  of  war  between  Mexico  and 
the  United  States,  which  were  of  frequent  occurrence,  were 
usually  too  much  for  his  equanimity.  I  remember  one  in- 
stance in  particular,  while  he  was  writing  at  General  Vallejo's 
dictation,  in  November,  1875,  news  came  of  serious  troubles  in 
the  south,  and  he  gave  me  notice  that  he  should  be  obliged 
to  abandon  his  work  and  fly  to  the  rescue  of  something  or 
to  death.  I  requested  Vallejo  to  pacify  him,  since  he  might 
not  receive  my  opinion  in  the  matter  as  wholly  disinterested. 
Shortly  afterward  Cerruti  returned  for  a  time  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  General  Vallejo  wrote  him  there.  After  a  lengthy 
and  flowery  review  of  their  labors  as  associates  during  the 
last  year  and  a  half.  General  Vallejo  goes  on  to  say:  "I  have 
heard  tha*"  the  noise  made  by  the  press  in  relation  to  the 
annexation  of  Mexico  to  the  United  States  has  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  you,  and  that  you  contemplate  going  to  see 
the  world  in  those  regions.  Believe  me.  General,  cl  ruido  cs 
mas  que  las  niicces.  If,  as  is  said,  it  were  certain  that  war  be- 
tween the  two  republics  is  about  to  break  out,  then  you  might 
go  forth  in  search  of  adventures,  but  not  otherwise.  Under 
such  circumstances  Mexico  would  play  the  role  of  the  smaller 
fish,  and  the  consequence  would  be  that  manifest  destiny 
would  absorb  Chihuahua  and  Sonora.  It  is  necessary  to 
wait  until  what  is  passing  in  the  lofty  regions  of  diplomacy 


240  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES, 

be  disclosed.  My  opinion  is  diat  you  should  wait."  Vallejo's 
arguments  were  convincing :  Cerruti  abandoned  his  project. 
The  general  concludes  his  letter  as  follows :  "  To-morrow  I 
shall  leave  for  San  Francisco  to  see  you,  and  if  possible  we 
will  go  to  Healdsburg.  I  believe  that  there  we  shall  harvest 
the  papers  of  Mrs.  Fitch,  and  obtain  from  her  a  very  good 
narration  concerning  San  Diego  matters,  its  siege  by  the  Cal- 
ifornians,  the  imprisonment  of  Captain  Fitch,  Bandini,  and 
others."  General  Vallejo  came  down  as  he  proposed;  the 
breast  of  the  hero  of  Bolivian  revolutions  was  quiet ;  the  two 
generals  proceeded  to  Healdsburg,  and  a  thick  volume  of 
documents  lettered  as  the  archives  of  the  Fitch  family  was 
thereby  secured  to  the  library. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  1876,  at  Sonoma,  Enrique  Cerruti 
killed  himself  I  was  east  at  the  time,  and  the  painful  intel- 
ligence was  sent  me  by  General  Vallejo.  The  cause  of  this 
deplorable  act  was  losses  in  mining  stocks.  For  a  year  past 
he  had  been  gambling  in  these  in-securities,  and  during  the 
latter  part  of  this  time  he  was  much  demoralized.  The  dis- 
grace attending  failures  was  beyond  his  endurance. 

When  I  left  San  Francisco  in  June  he  attended  me  to 
the  ferry,  and  was  outwardly  in  his  usual  health  and  spirits. 
He  continued  his  work  at  the  library  only  a  few  weeks  after 
my  departure,  so  that  when  he  died  he  had  not  been  in  my 
service  for  three  months;  indeed,  so  nervous  and  eccentric 
had  become  his  brain  by  his  speculations  that  for  some  time 
past  he  had  been  totally  unfit  for  literary  labor. 

He  wrote  me  for  two  thousand  dollars;  but  his  letter  lay 
in  New  York  while  I  was  absent  in  the  White  Mountains, 
and  I  did  not  receive  it  till  too  late.  The  amount  he  asked 
for,  however,  even  if  I  had  been  in  time  with  it,  would  not 
have  saved  him,  for  he  owed,  as  was  afterward  estimated, 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  dollars.  He  had  borrowed 
this  money  from  his  friends,  and  had  lost  it ;  and  his  inability 
to  pay  well-nigh  maddened  him.  He  talked  of  suicide  for 
six  months  previous,  but  no  attention  was  paid  to  his  threats. 


CLOSE    OF   THE    CERRUTI-VALLEJO    CAMPAIGN.  241 

Just  before  leaving  for  Sonoma  he  bade  all  farewell  for  the 
last  time ;  some  laughed  at  him,  others  offered  to  bet  with 
him  that  he  would  not  do  it ;  no  one  believed  him.  He  had 
quarrelled  and  made  peace  alternately  with  every  person  in 
the  library ;  he  had  denounced  every  friend  he  had,  one  after 
the  other,  as  the  cause  of  his  ruin.  Then  again  it  was  his 
fate;  he  had  been  so  cursed  from  childhood.  However, 
death  should  balance  all  accounts,  and  swallow  all  dishonor; 
though  his  friends  failed  to  perceive  how  a  claim  against  a 
dead  CeiTuti  was  better  than  a  claim  against  a  live  one. 

Why  he  selected  Sonoma  as  the  point  of  his  final  depart- 
ure no  one  knows,  unless  it  was  for  dramatic  effect.  He 
was  a  lover  of  notoriety ;  and  a  tragic  act  Avould  command 
more  attention  there  than  in  a  large  city.  Then  there  were 
the  Vallejos,  his  dearest  friends  —  he  might  have  chosen  to 
be  buried  near  them.  Gunpowder,  too,  one  would  have 
thought  nearer  akin  to  his  taste  than  drugs.  He  was  fully 
determined  to  die,  for,  laudanum  failing,  he  resorted  to 
strychnine.  Awakened  by  his  groans,  the  hotel  people  sent 
for  Mrs.  Vallejo,  who  tried  to  administer  an  antidote,  but  he 
refused  to  receive  it.  The  coroner  telegraphed  the  firm,  and 
the  library  was  represented  at  the  burial. 

Poor,  dear  Cerruti !  If  I  had  him  back  with  me  alive,  I 
would  not  give  him  up  for  all  Nevada's  mines.  His  ever 
welcome  presence ;  his  ever  pleasing  speech,  racy  in  its 
harmless  bluster;  his  ever  charming  ways,  fascinating  in 
their  guileful  simplicity,  the  far-reaching  round  earth  does 
not  contain  his  like.  Alas,  Cerruti !  with  another  I  might 
say,  I  could  have  better  lost  a  better  man ! 


16 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

HOME. 

There  is  no  happiness  in  life,  there  is  no  misery,  like  that  growing  out 
of  the  dispositions  which  consecrate  or  desecrate  a  home. —  Chapm. 

I  ALMOST  despaired  of  ever  having  a  home  again.  I  was 
growing  somewhat  old  for  a  young  wife,  and  I  had  no 
fancy  for  taking  an  old  one.  The  risk  on  both  sides  I  felt  to 
be  great.  A  Buffalo  lady  once  wrote  me :  "  All  this  time 
you  might  be  making  some  one  person  happy."  I  replied  : 
"  All  this  time  I  might  be  making  two  persons  miserable." 
And  yet  no  one  realized  more  fully  than  myself  that  a  happy 
marriage  doubles  the  resources,  and  completes  the  being 
which  otherwise  fails  in  the  fullest  development  of  its  intui- 
tions and  yearnings.  The  twain  are,  in  the  nature  human, 
one;  each  without  loss  gives  what  the  other  lacks. 

New  Haven  had  been  the  home  of  her  whom  I  made  my 
wife,  and  of  the  families  of  that  old  university  town  hers  was 
among  the  most  respected.  It  was  there  I  first  met  her,  and 
afterward  at  Bethlehem,  the  highest  of  New  England  villages. 
Walking  down  the  dusty  road,  we  turned  aside  into  a  rocky 
field,  crossing  into  a  lane  which  led  us  to  a  tangled  wood, 
where,  seated  on  a  fallen  tree,  each  spoke  the  words  to  speak 
which  we  were  there.  It  was  the  12th  of  October,  1876, 
that  I  married  Matilda  Coley  Griffing  ;  and  from  the  day 
that  she  was  mine,  wherever  her  sweet  presence,  there  was 
my  home. 

For  obvious  reasons,  a  middle-aged  man  ought  to  make  a 
better  husband  than  a  very  young  man.  He  has  had  more 
experience ;  he  should  know  more,  have  better  control  of 
himself,  and  be  belter  jjrepared  to  have  consideration  for 


HOME.  243 

those  dependent  upon  him  for  happiness  or  support.  The 
young  man,  particularly  one  who  has  not  all  his  life  enjoyed 
the  noblest  and  best  of  female  society,  does  not  always  enter- 
tain the  highest  opinion  of  woman,  never  having  reached  the 
finer  qualities  of  her  mind  and  heart,  and  having  no  concep- 
tion of  the  superiority  of  her  refined  and  gentle  nature  over 
his  own.  Hence  the  inexperienced  youth,  launched  upon 
the  untried  ocean  of  matrimony,  often  finds  himself  in  the 
midst  of  storms  which  might  have  been  with  ease  avoided, 
had  he  been  possessed  of  greater  tact  or  experience. 

And  the  children  which  come  later  in  the  lives  of  their 
parents  —  we  might  say,  happy  are  they  as  compared  with 
those  who  appeared  before  them.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  one- 
half  the  children  bom  into  the  world  die  in  infancy  through 
the  ignorance  or  neglect  of  their  parents ;  and  of  the  other 
half,  their  lives  for  the  most  part  are  made  miserable  from  the 
same  cause.  The  young  husband  and  father  chafes  under  the 
new  cares  and  anxieties  incident  to  untried  responsibilities 
which  interfere  with  his  comfort  and  pleasure,  and  the  child 
must  suffer  therefrom.  Often  a  newly  married  pair  are  not 
ready  at  once  to  welcome  children ;  they  are  perhaps  too 
much  taken  up  with  themselves  and  the  pleasures  and  pas- 
times of  society.  Later  in  life  parents  are  better  prepared, 
more  in  the  humor  it  may  be,  more  ready  to  find  their  chief 
pleasure  in  welcoming  to  the  world  successive  reproductions  of 
themselves,  and  watching  the  physical  and  mental  unfolding, 
and  ministering  to  the  comfort  and  joy  of  the  new  and  strange 
little  beings  committed  to  them. 

There  was  no  lack  of  sympathy  between  us,  my  wife  and 
me,  no  lack  of  heart,  and  head,  and  hand  help.  After  the 
journeying  incident  to  this  new  relationship  was  over,  and 
I  once  more  settled  to  work,  all  through  the  days  and  years 
of  future  ploddings  patiently  by  my  side  she  sat,  her  face 
the  picture  of  happy  contentment,  assisting  me  with  her  quick 
application  and  sound  discrimination,  making  notes,  studying 
my  manuscript,  and  erasing  or  altering  such  repetitions  and 
solecisms  as  crept  into  my  work. 


244  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

At  White  Sulphur  Springs,  and  Santa  Cruz,  where  we  spent 
the  following  spring  and  summer,  on  the  hotel  porches  used 
to  sit  the  feather-brained  women  of  fashion  from  the  city  — 
used  there  to  sit  and  gossip  all  the  morning,  and  all  the 
evening,  while  we  were  at  our  work ;  and  I  never  before  so 
realized  the  advantage  to  woman  of  ennobling  occupation. 
Why  should  she  be  the  vain  and  trifling  thing,  intellectually, 
that  she  generally  is  ?  How  long  will  those  who  call  them- 
selves ladies  exercise  their  influence  to  make  work  degrading, 
and  only  folly  fashionable  ? 

But  little  cared  we  for  any  of  them.  We  were  content ; 
nay,  more,  we  were  very  happy.  Rising  early  and  breakfast- 
ing at  eight  o'clock,  we  devoted  the  forenoon  to  work.  After 
luncheon  we  walked,  or  rode,  or  drove,  usually  until  dinner, 
after  which  my  wife  and  daughter  mingled  with  the  company, 
Avhile  I  wrote  often  until  ten  or  eleven  o'clock.  In  this  way 
I  could  average  ten  hours  a  day ;  which,  but  for  the  extraor- 
dinary strength  of  my  constitution,  was  twice  as  much  as  I 
should  have  done. 

It  was  a  great  saving  to  me  of  time  and  strength,  this 
taking  my  work  into  the  country.  In  constant  communica- 
tion with  the  library,  I  could  draw  thence  daily  such  fresh 
material  as  I  required,  and  as  often  as  necessary  visit  the 
library  in  person,  and  have  supervision  of  things  there.  Thus 
was  my  time  divided  between  the  still  solitude  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  noisy  solitude  of  the  city. 

Never  in  my  life  did  I  work  harder  or  accomplish  more 
than  during  the  years  immediately  succeeding  my  marriage, 
while  at  the  same  time  body  and  mind  grew  stronger  under 
the  fortifying  influences  of  home. 

•  For  a  year  and  more  before  my  marriage  I  had  been 
under  promise  to  my  daughter  to  go  east  at  the  close  of  her 
summer  school-term  and  accompany  her  to  the  centennial 
exhibition  at  Philadelphia.  This  I  did,  leaving  San  Francisco 
the  15th  of  June,  1876,  and  taking  her,  with  her  two  cousins 
and  a  young  lady  friend,  to  the  great  world's  show,  there  to 


HOME.  245 

spend  the  first  two  weeks  in  July.  Thence  we  all  returned  to 
New  Haven. 

Immediately  after  my  marriage  we  went  to  New  York  and 
thence  to  Washington,  where  we  saw  Major  and  jVIrs.  Powell, 
George  Bancroft,  Judge  Field,  Mr.  Spofford,  and  many  others. 
After  a  day  at  Mount  Vernon  we  proceeded  to  Baltimore, 
there  to  meet  President  Oilman,  Brantz  Mayer,  and  other 
friends.  Though  both  of  us  had  seen  the  exhibition,  we 
could  not  pass  it  by  upon  the  present  occasion,  and  accord- 
ingly spent  a  week  in  Philadelphia. 

I  had  long  desired  a  dictation  from  John  A.  Sutter.  In- 
deed I  regarded  the  information  which  he  alone  could  give 
as  absolutely  essential  to  my  history,  as  he  was  the  first  to 
settle  in  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  so  near  the  spot  where 
gold  was  discovered,  and  was  so  prominent  in  those  parts 
during  the  whole  period  of  the  Califomian  Inferno. 

Leaving  Philadelphia  in  the  morning,  and  passing  up  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Schuylkill,  about  noon  we  reached  our 
destination  at  the  Litiz  Springs.  Why  this  bold  Swiss,  who 
for  a  dozen  years  or  more  was  little  less  than  king  among  the 
natives  of  the  Sierra  foothills,  should  leave  that  land  of  sun- 
shine, and  hide  himself  in  a  dismal  Dutch  village,  was  a  mys- 
tery to  me.  Accident  seemed  to  have  directed  him  thither 
to  a  Moravian  school,  as  suitable  in  which  to  place  a  grand- 
daughter. This  step  led  to  the  building  of  a  house,  and 
there  he  intended  at  this  time  to  end  his  days.  Well,  no 
doubt  heaven  is  as  near  Litiz  as  Cahfomia ;  but  sure  I  am, 
the  departure  thence  is  not  so  pleasant. 

At  the  Litiz  Springs  hotel,  directly  opposite  to  which  stood 
General  Sutter's  two-story  brick  dwelling,  we  were  told  that 
the  old  gentleman  was  ill,  unable  to  receive  visitors,  and 
that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  see  him.  There  was 
only  one  man,  the  barber,  who  went  every  day  to  shave  the 
general,  who  could  gain  me  audience,  if  such  a  thing  were  pos- 
sible.   I  declined  with  thanks  his  services,  and  ordered  dinner. 

"  I  will  go  over  and  see  his  wife,  at  all  events,"  I  said  to 
the  clerk. 


246  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

"  That  will  not  help  you,"  was  the  reply;  "  she  is  deaf." 

"  Who  else  is  there  in  the  family  ?  " 

"A  granddaughter." 

That  was  sufficient.  I  did  not  propose  to  lose  my  journey 
to  Litiz,  and  what  was  more,  this,  probably  my  last  opportu- 
nity for  securing  an  important  dictation.  I  was  determined 
to  see  the  general,  and  ascertain  for  myself  how  matters  stood. 

After  knocking  loudly  at  the  portal  three  several  times,  the 
door  was  slowly,  silently  opened  a  little  way,  and  the  head  of 
an  old  woman  appeared  at  the  aperture. 

"  Is  this  Mrs.  Sutter  ?  "  I  asked. 

No  response. 

"  May  I  speak  with  you  a  moment  in  the  hall  ?  " 

Still  no  response,  and  no  encouragement  for  me  to  enter. 
There  she  stood,  the  guardian  of,  apparently,  as  impregnable 
a  fortress  as  ever  was  Fort  Sutter  in  its  palmiest  days.  I 
must  gain  admission ;  retreat  now"  might  be  fatal.  Stepping 
toward  the  small  opening  as  if  there  was  no  obstacle  what- 
ever to  my  entering,  as  the  door  swung  back  a  little  at  my 
approach,  I  slipped  into  the  hall. 

Once  within,  no  ogress  was  there.  Mrs.  Sutter  was  a  tall, 
thin,  intelligent  woman,  plainly  dressed,  and  with  a  shawl 
thrown  over  her  shoulders.  Her  English  was  faulty,  but  she 
readily  understood  me,  and  her  deafness  was  not  at  all 
troublesome. 

Handing  her  my  card,  I  asked  to  see  General  Sutter. 
"  I  know  he  is  ill,"  said  I,  "  but  I  must  see  him."  Taking 
the  card,  she  showed  me  into  a  back  parlor,  and  then  with- 
drew. From  Mrs.  Sutter's  manner,  no  less  than  from  what 
had  been  told  me  at  the  hotel,  I  was  extremely  fearful  that  I 
had  come  too  late,  and  that  all  of  history  that  house  contained 
was  in  the  fevered  brain  of  a  dying  man. 

But  presently,  to  my  great  astonishment  and  delight,  the 
door  opened,  and  the  general  himself  entered  at  a  brisk  j)ace. 
He  appeared  neither  very  old  nor  very  feeble.  He  was  rather 
below  medium  height,  and  stout.  His  step  was  still  firm,  his 
bearing  soldierly,  and  in  his  younger  days  he  must  have  been 


HOME.  247 

a  man  of  much  endurance,  with  a  remarkably  fine  physique. 
His  features  were  of  the  German  cast,  broad,  full  face,  intel- 
lectual forehead,  with  white  hair,  bald  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
white  side -whiskers,  mustache,  and  imperial;  and  a  deep, 
clear,  earnest  eye.  Seventy-five  years,  apparently,  sat  not 
heavily  upon  him.  He  was  suffering  severely  from  rheuma- 
tism, and  used  a  cane  to  assist  him  in  walking  about  the  house. 
He  complained  of  failing  memory,  but  I  saw  no  indication 
of  it  in  the  five  days'  dictating  which  followed. 

No  one  could  be  in  General  Sutter's  presence  long  with- 
out feeling  satisfied  that  he  was  a  natural  born  gentleman. 
He  had  more  the  manners  of  a  courtier  than  of  a  backwoods- 
man, but  with  this  difference :  his  speech  and  bearing  were 
the  promptings  of  a  kind  heart,  unaffected  and  sincere.  He 
received  me  kindly,  and  listened  with  deep  attention  to  my 
plan  for  a  history  of  the  Pacific  States  as  I  laid  it  before  him, 
perceiving  at  once  the  difference  between  my  work  and  that 
of  local  historians  and  newspaper  reporters,  by  whom  all  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  he  had  been  besieged. 

"  I  have  been  robbed  and  ruined,"  he  exclaimed,  "  by 
lawyers  and  politicians.  When  gold  was  discovered  I  had 
my  fortress,  my  mills,  my  farms,  leagues  of  land,  thousands 
of  cattle  and  horses,  and  a  thousand  tamed  natives  at  my 
bidding.  Where  are  they  now  ?  Stolen !  My  men  were 
crushed  by  the  iron  heel  of  civilization ;  my  cattle  were 
driven  off  by  hungry  gold-seekers ;  my  fort  and  mills  were 
deserted  and  left  to  decay ;  my  lands  were  squatted  on  by 
overland  emigrants;  and  finally  I  was  cheated  out  of  all 
my  property.     All  Sacramento  was  once  mine." 

"  General,"  said  I,  "  this  appears  to  have  been  the  com- 
mon fate  of  those  who  owned  vast  estates  at  the  coming  of 
the  Americans.  It  was  partly  owing  to  the  business  inexpe- 
rience of  the  holders  of  land  grants,  though  this  surely  can- 
not apply  to  yourself,  and  partly  to  the  unprincipled  tricksters 
who  came  hither  to  practise  in  courts  of  law.  The  past  is 
past.  One  thing  yet  remains  for  you  to  do,  which  is  to  see 
your  wonderful   experiences  properly  placed  on  record  for 


248  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

the  benefit  of  posterity.  You  fill  an  important  niche  in  the 
history  of  the  western  coast.  Of  certain  events  of  a  certain 
era  and  locality  you  are  the  living  embodiment.  Often  in 
my  labors  I  have  encountered  your  name,  your  deeds ;  and 
let  me  say  that  I  have  never  yet  heard  the  former  mentioned 
but  in  kindness,  nor  the  latter  except  in  praise." 

Tears  came  to  the  old  man's  eyes,  and  his  utterance  was 
choked,  as  he  signified  his  willingness  to  relate  to  me  all  he 
knew. 

"  You  arrived,"  said  he,  "  at  a  most  opportune  moment;  I 
am  but  just  out  of  bed,  and  I  feel  I  shall  be  ill  again  in  a  few 
days,  when  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  see  or  converse 
with  any  one." 

I  said  I  had  come  to  Litiz  on  this  special  business,  and 
asked  how  much  time  he  could  devote  to  it  each  day. 

"All  the  time,"  he  rephed,  "if  you  will  conform  to  my 
hours.  Come  as  early  as  you  like  in  the  morning,  but  we 
must  rest  at  six  o'clock.     I  retire  early." 

Ten  hours  a  day  for  the  next  five  days  resulted  in  two  hun- 
dred pages  of  manuscript,  which  was  subsequently  bound  and 
placed  in  the  library.  Forty  pages  a  day  kept  me  very  busy, 
and  at  night  I  was  tired  enough.  Meanwhile  my  devoted 
wife  sat  patiently  by,  sometimes  sewing,  always  lending  an 
attentive  ear,  with  occasional  questions  addressed  to  the 
general. 

For  a  short  time  after  our  return  to  San  Francisco  the 
Palace  Hotel  appeared  to  us  as  curious  as  a  menagerie  ;  then 
it  became  as  distasteful  as  a  prison.  Nevertheless  we  had 
many  pleasant  little  dinner  parties  the  Avinter  we  were  there, 
made  up  of  widely  different  characters.  First  there  were  our 
nearest  and  dearest  friends,  those  who  had  always  been  to 
me  more  than  relatives.  Then  there  were  the  intellectually 
social ;  and  a  third  class  were  Spanish-speaking  Californians 
and  Mexicans,  among  whom  were  Pio  Pico,  General  Vallejo, 
Governor  Alvarado,  Governor  Pacheco,  and  the  Mexican 
refugees,  President  Iglesias,  and  Senorcs  Prieto  and  Palacio 


HOME.  249 

of  his  cabinet.  Mrs.  Bancroft  began  the  study  of  Spanish, 
and  made  rapid  progi-ess ;  my  daughter  Kate  was  already 
quite  at  home  in  that  language. 

It  was  no  part  of  our  plan  immediately  to  domicile  our- 
selves in  any  fixed  residence.  Change  seemed  necessary  to 
my  brain,  strained  as  it  was  to  its  utmost  tension  perpetually. 
It  was  about  the  only  rest  it  would  take.  What  is  commonly 
called  pleasure  was  not  pleasure  so  long  as  there  was  so  much 
work  piled  up  behind  it.  I  must  change  position  occasion- 
ally, and  feed  upon  new  surroundings,  or  I  became  restless 
and  out  of  health.  Then  we  had  before  us  m.uch  travelling. 
The  vast  territory  whose  history  I  was  writing  must  be  visited 
in  its  several  parts,  some  of  them  many  times.  There  was 
the  great  Northwest  Coast  to  be  seen,  Oregon,  Washington, 
and  British  Columbia;  there  were  Utah,  New  Mexico,  and 
Arizona ;  likewise  the  sunny  south,  southern  California,  Mex- 
ico, and  Central  America.  Besides,  there  was  much  search- 
ing of  archives  in  Europe  yet  to  be  done.  So  we  must 
content  ourselves  for  the  present  with  making  the  world  our 
home,  any  part  of  it  in  which  night  happened  to  overtake 
us.  Nevertheless,  after"  a  year  in  Oakland,  and  a  winter 
spent  by  Mrs.  Bancroft  at  New  Haven,  I  purchased  a  resi- 
dence on  Van  Ness  avenue,  where  for  many  long  and  busy 
years  echoed  the  voices  of  little  ones,  watched  over  by  a 
contented  mother  in  Avhose  heart  was  that  perpetual  sunshine 
which  best  pleaseth  God.     This  was  indeed  Home. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SAN    FRANCISCO   ARCHIVES. 

There  are  some  who  think  that  the  brooding  patience  which  a  great 
work  calls  for  belonged  exclusively  to  an  earlier  period  than  ours. 

—  Lo-.cell. 

DURING  the  first  ten  years  of  these  Ingatherings  and 
Industries  a  dark  cloud  of  discouragement  hung  over 
my  efforts,  in  the  form  of  nearly  four  hundred  volumes,  with 
from  seven  hundred  to  nineteen  hundred  pages  each,  of 
original  documents,  lodged  in  the  office  of  the  United  States 
surveyor-general  in  San  Francisco.  Though  containing  much 
on  mission  affairs,  they  constituted  the  regular  archives  of  the 
secular  government  from  the  earliest  period  of  Californian 
history.  They  were  nearly  all  in  Spanish,  many  of  them  in 
very  bad  Spanish,  poorly  written,  aiid  difficult  to  decipher. 

On  the  secularization  of  the  missions,  that  is  to  say  the 
removal  of  their  property  from  missionary  control,  in  many 
instances  to  its  ruin  and  the  breaking  up  of  mission  estab- 
lishments in  California,  some  few  loose  papers  found  their 
way  to  the  college  of  San  Fernando,  in  Mexico,  which  was 
the  parent  institution.  The  clergy  still  held  the  mission 
church  buildings,  and  in  some  instances  the  out-houses  and 
orchards ;  and  the  mission  books,  proper,  remained  naturally 
in  their  control.  There  were  likewise  left  at  some  of  the 
missions  bundles  of  papers,  notably  at  Santa  Barbara;  but 
these,  though  of  the  greatest  importance,  were  not  very 
bulky  in  comparison  to  the  secular  archives. 

More  to  be  considered  by  the  historian  were  the  records 
and  documents  of  the  several  municipalities  along  the  south- 
em  seaboard,  which  with  the  papers  kept  by  retired  officials, 


SAN    FRANCISCO   ARCHIVES.  25 1 

and  those  treasured  by  the  old  and  prominent  famihes, 
formed  a  very  important  element  in  the  marshalled  testimony. 
Thus  matters  stood  when  California  was  made  a  state  of 
the  great  American  confederation ;  and  when  counties  were 
formed  by  act  of  legislature  of  1850,  the  correspondence, 
papers,  and  records  of  local  officials  under  Mexican  rule,  al- 
caldes, jueccs  de  priiuera  instancia,  and  others,  were  ordered 
deposited  with  the  clerk  of  each  county. 

The  United  States  government  took  possession  in  1846-7 
of  all  the  territorial  records  that  could  be  found  —  an  im- 
mense mass,  though  by  no  means  all  that  existed — and  in 
185 1  the  public  archives  in  all  parts  of  California  were  called 
in  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  United  States  surveyor-gen- 
eral in  San  Francisco,  and  of  these  Mr.  R.  C.  Hopkins  was 
made  custodian.  Such  of  the  pueblo  and  presidial  archives 
as  were  deemed  of  importance  to  the  general  government 
were  also  held  in  San  Francisco.  Many,  however,  of  great 
historic  value  were  never  removed  from  their  original  lodg- 
ments, and  many  others  Avere  returned  to  them,  for  of  such 
material  much  was  found  by  my  searchers  in  various  places 
at  different  times.  As  these  archives  finally  stood  they  con- 
sisted of  the  official  correspondence  of  the  superior  and  other 
authorities,  civil  and  financial,  military  and  ecclesiastic,  of 
Mexico  and  the  Californias,  from  the  formation  of  the  first 
mission  in  1769,  and  even  a  little  further  back,  to  the  time 
California  was  admitted  into  the  Union;  not  complete,  but 
full  during  parts  of  the  time  and  meagre  in  other  parts.  As 
will  be  seen,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  the  missing 
records  from  other  sources. 

When  E.  M.  Stanton  came  with  power  from  Washington 
to  attend  to  land  and  other  affairs  of  the  government  he 
ordered  these  archives  bound.  Although  some  divisions  of 
the  papers  were  made,  little  attention  was  paid  to  chronolog- 
ical or  other  arrangement.  Said  one  of  my  assistants  to  me 
after  a  preliminary  examination  :  "  The  whole  thing  is  a  jum- 
ble ;  so  far  as  their  value  to  your  work  is  concerned,  or  your 
being  able  to  find,  by  searching,  any  particular  incident  of 


252  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

any  particular  period,  the  papers  might  as  well  be  in  hay- 
stack form." 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  thought  of  attacking  the 
great  dragon  of  these  investigations  had  been  for  many  years 
in  my  mind  as  a  nightmare,  and  while  doggedly  pursuing 
more  puny  efforts  I  tried  to  shake  it  from  me,  and  not  tiiink 
of  it.  There  was  much  material  aside  from  that,  more  than 
enough  for  my  purpose,  perhaps;  besides,  some  one  could 
go  through  the  mass  and  take  from  it  what  I  lacked,  in  the 
usual  form  of  historical  notes. 

But  such  reasoning  would  not  do.  The  monster  would 
not  thus  be  frightened  away.  All  the  time,  to  be  honest  with 
myself,  I  well  knew  that  I  must  have  before  me  all  existing 
material  that  could  be  obtained,  and  I  well  knew  what 
"  going  through  "  such  a  stack  of  papers  signified.  No ;  one 
of  the  chief  differences  between  my  method  and  that  of  others 
in  gathering  and  arranging  facts  for  histor}^,  was,  in  so  far  as 
possible,  to  have  all  my  material  together,  within  instant  and 
constant  reach,  so  that  I  could  place  before  me  on  my  table 
the  information  lodged  in  the  British  Museum  beside  that 
contained  in  the  archives  of  Mexico,  and  compare  both  with 
what  Spain  and  California  could  yield,  and  not  be  obliged  in 
the  midst  of  my  investigations  to  go  from  one  library  to 
another  note-taking. 

And  under  this  method,  so  far  as  my  daily  and  hourly 
necessities  were  concerned,  this  immense  mass  of  information 
might  almost  as  well  be  in  Nova  Scotia  as  in  a  public  office. 
To  be  of  use  to  me  it  must  be  in  my  library.  This  was  the 
basis  on  which  my  work  was  laid  out,  and  only  by  adhering 
to  this  plan  could  it  be  accomplished. 

But  how  get  it  there  ?  The  government  would  not  lend 
it  to  me,  though  our  benign  "  uncle  "  has  committed  more 
foolish  acts.  There  was  but  one  way,  the  way  pursued  in 
smaller  operations  —  copy  it.  But  what  did  that  mean,  to 
'  copy  it '  ?  The  day  in  government  offices  is  short ;  a  copy- 
ist might  return  from  twenty  to  forty  folios  per  diem ;  this, 
averaged,  would  amount  to  perhaps  throe  volumes  a  year, 


SAN    FRANCISCO   ARCHIVES.  253 

which  would  be  a  hundred  years'  work  for  one  person  ;  and 
this  merely  to  transfer  the  material  to  my  library,  where  an- 
other century  of  work  would  be  required  before  it  attained 
the  proper  form  as  condensed  and  classified  material  for  his- 
tory. 

Well,  then,  if  the  task  would  occupy  one  person  so  long, 
put  on  it  ten  or  twenty  —  this  is  the  way  my  demon  talked 
to  me.  But  the  surveyor's  office  would  not  accommodate  so 
many.  Not  to  dwell  upon  the  subject,  however,  the  matter 
was  thus  accomplished  :  A  room  was  rented  near  the  sur- 
veyor-general's office,  to  which  Mr.  H.  G,  Rollins,  then  in 
charge,  had  kindly  granted  permission  to  have  the  bound 
volumes  taken  as  required  by  the  copyists.  Tables  and  chairs 
were  then  purchased,  and  the  needed  writing-materials  sup- 
plied. Then  by  a  system  of  condensation  and  epitomizing, 
now  so  thoroughly  understood  that  no  time  or  labor  need  be 
lost,  under  the  efficient  direction  of  Mr.  Savage,  one  of  my 
most  valued  assistants,  fifteen  Spaniards  were  able  in  one  year 
to  transfer  from  these  archives  to  the  library  all  that  was 
necessary  for  my  purpose.  This  transfer  was  not  made  in 
the  form  of  notes  ;  the  work  was  an  abridgment  of  the  archives, 
which  would  be  of  immense  public  value  in  case  of  loss  by 
fire  of  the  original  documents.  The  title  of  every  paper  was 
given;  the  more  important  documents  were  copied  in  full, 
while  the  others  were  given  in  substance  only.  The  work 
was  begun  the  15th  of  May,  1876.  The  expense  was  about 
eighteen  thousand  dollars ;  and  when  in  the  form  of  bound 
volumes  these  archives  stood  on  the  shelves  of  the  library,  we 
were  just  ready  to  begin  extracting  historical  notes  from  them 
in  the  usual  way. 

This  transcribing  of  the  archives  in  the  United  States  sur- 
veyor-general's office  was  the  greatest  single  efibrt  of  the 
kind  ever  made  by  me.  But  there  were  many  lesser  labors 
in  the  same  direction,  both  before  and  afterward;  promi- 
nent among  these  was  the  epitomizing  of  the  archiepiscopal 
archives. 


254  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Learning  from  Doctor  Taylor,  of  Santa  Barbara,  that  he 
had  presented  the  Most  Reverend  Joseph  S.  Alemany,  Cath- 
ohc  archbishop  of  San  Francisco,  Avith  a  quantity  of  valuable 
papers,  I  applied  to  the  latter  for  permission  to  copy  them. 
He  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  let  the  documents  pass  out  of 
his  possession.  "  I  shall  be  most  happy,  however,"  he  writes 
me,  "  to  afford  every  facility  to  any  gentleman  you  may 
choose  to  send  to  my  humble  house  to  copy  from  any  papers 
any  pieces  which  may  suit  your  work,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  in  your  kindness  you  will  let  me  see  before  publication 
what  is  written  on  religious  matters,  lest  unintentionally  some- 
thing might  be  stated  inaccurately,  which  no  doubt  you 
would  rectify."  It  is  needless  to  say  that  neither  to  the 
archbishop,  nor  to  any  person,  living  or  dead,  did  I  ever 
grant  permission  to  revise  or  change  my  writings.  It  was 
my  great  consolation  and  chief  support  throughout  my  long 
and  arduous  career,  that  I  was  absolutely  free,  that  I  be- 
longed to  no  sect  or  party  to  which  I  must  render  account 
for  any  expression,  or  to  whose  traditions  my  opinions  must 
bow.  Sooner  than  so  hamper  myself,  I  would  have  con- 
signed my  library  and  my  labors  to  perdition. 

It  appeared  to  me  a  kind  of  compact,  this  insinuation  of 
the  archbishop,  that  if  he  granted  me  permission  to  copy 
documents  which  were  the  property  of  the  church,  they 
should  not  be  used  in  evidence  against  the  church.  Now 
with  the  church  I  have  not  at  any  time  had  controversy. 
Theology  was  not  my  theme.  I  never  could  treat  of  the- 
ology as  it  is  done  ordinarily  in  pulpits,  walled  about  by 
dogmas,  and  be  compelled  to  utter  other  men's  behefs  whether 
they  were  my  own  or  not.  I  should  have  no  pleasure  in 
speaking  or  writing  thus ;  nor  is  there  any  power  on  earth 
which  would  compel  me  to  it.  But  all  this  did  not  lessen 
my  obligation  to  the  good  archbishop,  who  was  ever  most 
kind  and  liberal  toward  me,  and  whose  kindness  and  liberal- 
ity I  trust  I  have  not  abused. 

The  documents  in  question  formed  five  books,  bound  into 
several  more  volumes.     They  consisted  mostly  of  correspon- 


SAN   FRANCISCO    ARCHIVES.  255 

dence  by  the  missionaries  of  upper  and  lower  California 
among  themselves,  or  with  the  authorities,  both  civil  and 
military,  in  ]\Iexico  or  the  Californias,  or  from  their  college 
of  San  Fernando ;  and  also  of  statistical  data  on  the  mis- 
sions, a  large  portion  of  the  letters  and  statistics  being  of 
great  historical  importance. 

Finally,  the  condition  was  withdrawn,  and  Mr.  Savage  with 
three  copjists  performed  this  labor  in  about  a  month. 

While  the  work  of  abstracting  was  going  on,  the  men 
received  occasional  visits  from  attaches  of  the  ecclesiastical 
offices  in  the  mansion,  which  at  first  gave  rise  to  a  suspicion 
in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Savage  that  he  was  watched.  But  nothing 
occurred  to  make  his  task  disagreeable.  The  archbishop 
occasionally  entered  the  room  for  some  document  from  his 
desk,  and  ever  had  a  kind  word  for  those  who  occupied  it. 
The  result  of  this  work,  which  was  concluded  early  in  May, 
1876,  just  before  beginning  on  the  United  States  surveyor- 
general's  archives,  may  be  seen  in  the  Bancroft  Library,  in 
three  books,  entitled  Archivo  del  Arzobispado — Cartas  de  los 
Misioneros  de  California,  i.  ii.  iii.^  iii.2  iv.i  iv.-  v. 

Writing  of  California  material  for  history  in  the  public 
journals  of  August,  1877,  Mr.  Oak  observes:  "First  in  im- 
portance among  the  sources  of  information  are  the  public 
archives,  preserved  in  the  different  offices  of  nation,  state, 
county,  and  city,  at  San  Francisco,  Sacramento,  San  Jose, 
Salinas,  Los  Angeles,  San  Diego,  and  to  a  slight  extent  in 
other  towns.  These  constitute  something  over  500  bulky 
tomes,  besides  loose  papers,  in  the  aggregate  not  less  than 
300,000  documents.  Of  the  nature  of  these  manuscripts  it 
is  impossible  within  present  Hmits  to  say  more  than  that  they 
are  the  original  orders,  correspondence,  and  act-records  of  the 
authorities — secular  and  ecclesiastical,  national,  provincial, 
departmental,  territorial,  and  municipal  —  during  the  succes- 
sive rule,  imperial  and  republican,  of  Spain,  ]\Iexico,  and  the 
United  States,  from  1768  to  1850.  After  the  latter  date 
there  is  little  in  the  archives  of  historic  value  which  has  not 
found  its  way  into  print.     A  small  part  of  these  papers  are 


256  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

arranged  by  systems  which  vary  from  tolerable  to  very  bad ; 
the  greater  part  being  thrown  together  with  a  sublime  disre- 
gard to  both  subject  and  chronology.  Of  their  value  there 
is  no  need  to  speak,  since  it  is  apparent  that  Californian  his- 
tory cannot  be  written  without  their  aid.  They  are,  however, 
practically  inaccessible  to  writers.  In  land-commission  times 
the  lawyers  sought  diligently  for  information  of  a  certain  class, 
and  left  many  guiding  references,  which  the  student  may  find, 
if  patient  and  long-lived,  in  countless  legal  briefs  and  judicial 
decisions.  The  keepers  of  the  archives,  besides  aiding  the  le- 
gal fraternity,  have  from  time  to  time  unearthed  for  the  benefit 
of  the  public  certain  documentary  curiosities ;  yet  the  archives 
as  a  whole  remain  an  unexplored  and,  by  ordinary  methods, 
unexplorable  waste.  Mr.  Bancroft  has  not  attempted,  by 
needle-in-the-haymow  methods,  to  search  the  archives  for 
data  on  particular  points ;  but  by  employing  a  large  auxiliary 
force  he  has  substantially  transferred  their  contents  to  the 
library.  Every  single  paper  of  all  the  300,000,  whatever  its 
nature  or  value,  has  been  read  —  deciphered  would  in  many 
cases  be  a  better  term ;  important  papers  have  been  copied  ; 
less  important  documents  have  been  stripped  of  their  Spanish 
verbiage,  the  substance  being  retained,  while  routine  commu- 
nications of  no  apparent  value  have  been  dismissed  with  a 
mere  mention  of  their  nature  and  date. 

"  Hardly  less  important,  though  much  less  bulky  than  the 
secular  records  above  referred  to,  are  the  records  of  the  friars 
in  the  mission  archives.  At  most  of  these  establishments — 
wrecks  of  former  Franciscan  prosperity — there  remain  in 
care  of  the  parish  priests  only  the  quaint  old  leather-bound 
records  of  births,  marriages,  deaths,  etc.  At  some  of  the 
ex-missions  even  these  records  have  disappeared,  having 
been  destroyed  or  passed  into  private  hands.  It  was  com- 
mon opinion  that  the  papers  of  the  missionary  padres  had 
been  destroyed,  or  sent  to  Mexico  and  Spain.  Another  the- 
ory was  that  of  men  who  mysteriously  hinted  at  immense  de- 
posits of  docu7nc?itos  at  the  old  missions,  jealously  guarded 
from  secular  eyes  and  hands. 


SAN    FRANCISCO    ARCHIVES.  257 

"  Both  views  are  absurdly  exaggerated.  The  mission  ar- 
chives were  never  very  bulky,  and  are  still  comparatively  com- 
plete. The  largest  collections  are  in  the  possession  of  the 
Franciscan  order,  and  of  the  archbishop  of  California. 
Other  small  collections  exist  at  different  places,  and  not  a 
few  papers  have  passed  into  private  keeping.  The  archives 
of  Spain  and  Mexico  must  be  ransacked,  but  the  documents 
thus  brought  to  light  can  neither  be  so  many  nor  so  impor- 
tant as  has  popularly  been  imagined. 

"  Not  all  the  records  of  early  California,  by  any  means,  are 
to  be  found  in  the  public  offices.  Even  official  documents 
were  widely  scattered  during  the  American  conquest  or  be- 
fore ;  the  new  officials  collected  and  preserved  all  they  could 
gain  possession  of,  but  many  were  left  in  private  hands,  and 
have  remained  there.  The  private  correspondence  of  prom- 
inent men  on  public  events  is,  moreover,  quite  as  valuable  a 
source  of  information  as  their  official  communications.  Mr. 
Bancroft  has  made  an  earnest  effort  to  gather,  preserve,  and 
utilize  these  private  and  family  archives.  There  were  many 
obstacles  to  be  overcome;  Californians,  not  always  without 
reason,  were  distrustful  of  Gringo  schemes ;  old  papdes,  that 
had  so  long  furnished  material  for  cigaritos,  suddenly  acquired 
a  great  pecuniary  value ;  interested  persons,  in  some  cases  by 
misrepresentation,  induced  well  disposed  natives  to  act  against 
their  inclinations  and  interests.  Yet  efforts  in  this  direction 
have  not  been  wasted,  since  they  have  already  produced 
about  seventy-five  volumes,  containing  at  least  twenty  thou- 
sand documents,  a  very  large  proportion  of  which  are  impor- 
tant and  unique. 

"  I  have  not  included  in  the  preceding  class  some  fifty  vol- 
umes of  old  military  and  commercial  records,  which  are  by 
no  means  devoid  of  interest  and  value,  though  of  such  a  na- 
ture that  it  would  be  hardly  fair  to  add  them  by  the  page, 
without  explanation,  to  the  above  mentioned  documents.  It 
must  not  be  understood  that  these  contributed  collections  of 
original  papers  are  exclusively  Spanish;  on  the  contrary, 
many  of  the  volumes  relate  to  the  conquest,  or  to  the  period 
17 


258  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

immediately  preceding  or  following,  and  bear  the  names  of 
pioneers  in  whose  veins  flows  no  drop  of  Latin  blood — for 
instance,  the  official  and  private  correspondence  of  Thomas 
O.  Larkin,  in  twelve  thick  volumes. 

"  California  is  a  new  country ;  her  annals  date  back  but 
little  more  than  a  century ;  most  of  her  sister  states  are  still 
younger ;  therefore  personal  reminiscences  of  men  and  women 
yet  living  form  an  element  by  no  means  to  be  disregarded  by 
the  historian.  While  I  am  writing  there  are  to  be  found  — 
though  year  by  year  death  is  reducing  their  number  —  men 
of  good  intelligence  and  memory  who  have  seen  California 
pass  from  Spain  to  Mexico,  and  from  Mexico  to  the  United 
States.  Many  of  this  class  will  leave  manuscript  histories 
which  will  be  found  only  in  the  Bancroft  Library. 

"  The  personal  memoirs  of  pioneers  not  native  to  the  soil 
are  not  regarded  as  in  any  respect  less  desirable  than  those 
of  hijos  del  pais,  although  their  acts  and  the  events  of  their 
time  are  much  more  fully  recorded  in  print.  Hundreds  of 
pioneer  sketches  are  to  be  found  in  book  and  i^amphlet,  and 
especially  in  the  newspaper;  yet  great  efforts  are  made  to 
obtain  original  statements.  Some  hold  back  because  it  is 
difficult  to  convince  them  that  the  history  of  California  is 
being  written  on  a  scale  which  will  make  their  personal 
knowledge  and  experience  available  and  valuable.  Others 
exhibit  an  indolence  and  indifference  in  the  matter  impossible 
to  overcome." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HISTORIC    RESEARCHES   IN    THE    SOUTH. 
Every  man  must  work  according  to  his  own  method. —  Agassiz. 

SOUTHERN  California  was  rightly  regarded  as  the  deposi- 
tory of  the  richest  historic  material  north  of  Mexico.  And 
the  reason  was  obvious  :  In  settlement  and  civilization  that 
region  had  the  start  of  Oregon  by  a  half  century  and  more ; 
there  were  old  men  there,  and  family  and  public  archives. 
The  chief  historic  adventure  in  that  quarter  was  when,  with 
Mr.  Oak  and  my  daughter  Kate,  early  in  1874  I  took  the 
steamer  for  San  Diego  and  passed  several  months  in  collect- 
ing material  in  the  south. 

It  was  during  this  journey  south  that  Benjamin  Hayes, 
formerly  district  judge  at  Los  Angeles,  later  a  resident  of 
San  Diego,  and  for  twenty-five  years  an  enthusiastic  collector 
and  preserver  of  historic  data,  not  only  placed  me  in  pos- 
session of  all  his  collection,  but  gave  me  his  heart  with  it, 
and  continued  to  interest  himself  in  my  work  as  if  it  were 
his  own,  and  to  add  to  his  collection  while  in  my  possession 
as  if  it  was  still  in  his.  This  was  fortunate,  for  I  saw  much 
work  to  be  done  at  Los  Angeles,  Santa  Barbara,  and  else- 
where, and  I  hardly  knew  how  to  perform  it. 

For  the  first  quarter-century  of  this  country's  history  under 
American  rule,  beginning  with  a  journal  kept  while  crossing 
the  continent  in  1849,  the  judge  had  been  a  diligent  collector 
of  documents  touching  the  history  of  southern  Cahfoniia;  and 
his  collection  of  manuscripts,  and  especially  of  scraps  from 
books  and  early  newspapers,  systematically  arranged,  and  ac- 
companied frequently  by  manuscript  notes  of  his  own  making, 
was  very  extensive.     It  embraced  among  the  manuscript  por- 


26o  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

tion  a  copy  of  the  mission  book  of  San  Diego  ;  a  copy  of 
an  autograph  manuscript  of  Father  Junipero  Serra,  giving  a 
history  of  the  missions  up  to  1775  ;  a  similar  manuscript  his- 
tory by  Father  Lasuen  of  the  mission  up  to  1784;  copies  of 
all  the  more  important  documents  of  the  pueblo  archives  from 
1829;  a  complete  index  made  by  himself  in  1856  of  all  the 
early  archives ;  manuscript  accounts  of  Judge  Hayes'  own 
travels  in  various  parts  of  the  southern  country ;  reports  of 
evidence  in  important  law  cases,  illustrating  history,  and  many 
other  like  papers.  There  were  some  fifty  or  sixty  scrap-books, 
besides  bundles  of  assorted  and  unassorted  scraps,  all  stowed 
in  trunks,  cupboards,  and  standing  on  book-shelves.  The 
collection  was  formed  with  a  view  of  writing  a  history  of 
southern  California,  but  by  this  time  the  purpose  on  the  part 
of  Judge  Hayes  was  well-nigh  impracticable  by  reason  of  age 
and  ill-health. 

The  pueblo  archives  which  have  been  preserved  do  not 
extend  back  further  than  1829.  They  consist  of  more  or  less 
complete  records  of  the  proceedings  of  military  comman- 
dantes,  alcaldes,  ayuntamientos,  prefectos,  and  jueccs  de  paz, 
together  with  correspondence  between  the  several  town  offi- 
cials, between  the  officials  of  this  and  other  towns,  and  cor- 
respondence with  the  home  government  of  Spain  or  Mexico, 
being  the  originals  of  letters  received  and  copies  of  those 
sent.  They  include  some  flaming  proclamations  by  Cahfor- 
nian  governors,  and  interesting  correspondence  relative  to  the 
times  when  American  encroachments  had  begun.  Documents 
referring  to  the  mission  are  few  and  brief,  and  consist  of  cor- 
respondence between  the  secular  and  ecclesiastical  authorities 
respecting  the  capture  of  escaped  native  converts.  There  are 
yet  preserved,  however,  documents  relating  to  the  missions 
while  in  the  hands  of  administrators  subsequent  to  their  secu- 
larization. There  are  several  interesting  reports  of  civil  and 
criminal  trials,  illustrating  the  system  of  jurisprudence  during 
the  early  times. 

These  papers  were  preserved  in  the  county  archives,  in  the 
clerk's   office,   in   bundles,  as  classified   by  Judge   Hayes. 


HISTORIC   RESEARCHES   IN   THE   SOUTH.  261 

Copies  of  all  these  documents  in  any  wise  important  for  his- 
torical purposes  formed  part  of  Judge  Hayes'  collection. 

Every  mission,  besides  its  books  of  accounts,  its  papers 
filed  in  packages,  and  any  historical  or  statistical  records 
which  the  priests  might  choose  to  write,  kept  what  were 
called  the  mission  books,  consisting  of  records  of  conversions, 
marriages,  baptisms,  confirmations,  and  burials.  By  a  revolt 
of  the  natives  in  1775  San  Diego  mission,  with  all  its  records, 
was  destroyed.  In  opening  new  mission  books,  with  his 
own  hands  Father  Junipero  Serra  wrote  on  the  first  pages  of 
one  of  them  a  historical  sketch  of  the  mission  from  1769,  the 
date  of  its  establishment,  to  1775,  the  date  of  its  destruction. 
He  also  restored,  so  far  as  possible  from  memory,  the  list  of 
marriages  and  deaths.  The  mission  book  tlius  prefaced  by 
the  president  is  preserved  by  the  curate  at  San  Diego. 

It  was  the  23d  of  February  that  this  important  transfer  or 
rather  purchase  was  consummated,  for  of  course  I  insisted 
on  paying  the  judge  for  his  collection.  San  Diego  possessed 
few  further  attractions  for  me  in  the  line  of  literary  acquisi- 
tions ;  that  is  to  say,  this  collection,  with  so  important  a  man 
as  Judge  Hayes  enHsted  in  my  behalf,  was  an  accomphsh- 
ment  which  would  amply  reward  me  for  the  time  and  money 
expended  in  the  entire  excursion  should  nothing  more  come 
of  it.  For  this  collection  was  by  far  the  most  important  in 
the  state  outside  of  my  own ;  and  this,  added  to  mine,  would 
forever  place  my  library  beyond  competition  so  far  as  origi- 
nal California  material  was  concerned.  The  books,  packages, 
list  of  copies  of  the  county  archives,  and  manuscripts,  as  we 
packed  them  for  shipment,  numbered  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-seven; though  from  number  little  idea  can  be  formed 
of  value;  for  example,  a  volume  labelled  Private  Hours,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  manuscripts  containing  Judge  Hayes'  notes 
of  travel  over  the  state  at  different  times,  written  by  one 
thoroughly  familiar  with  public  and  private  matters,  by  one 
who  saw  far  into  men  and  affairs,  and  who  at  the  time  him- 
self contemplated  history-writing,  might  be  worth  a  hundred 
other  volumes. 


262  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Of  all  the  mission  archives  none  were  of  more  importance 
than  those  of  San  Diego,  this  being  the  initial  point  of  early 
Alta  California  observation.  Besides  historical  proclivities, 
Judge  Hayes  loved  science.  He  had  taken  meteorological 
observations  since  1850,  and  took  an  interest  in  the  botany 
of  the  country.  In  all  these  things  he  not  only  collected  and 
arranged,  but  he  digested  and  wrote. 

During  these  days  at  San  Diego  I  visited  and  examined 
everything  of  possible  historic  interest.  I  wandered  about 
the  hills  overlooking  the  numerous  town  sites,  crossed  to 
False  bay,  entered  the  cemetery,  and  copied  the  inscriptions 
on  the  stones  that  marked  the  resting-place  of  the  more 
honored  dead.  In  company  with  Mr.  Oak  I  called  at  the 
county  clerk's  office  to  see  Avhat  documents  were  there.  No 
one  seemed  to  know  anything  about  them.  Such  as  were 
there  were  scattered  loosely  in  boxes  and  drawers,  some  at 
New  Town  and  some  at  Old  Town.  When  we  learned  in 
what  sad  confusion  they  were  we  were  all  the  more  thank- 
ful we  had  copies  of  them.  Judge  Hayes  began  copying 
these  archives  in  1856. 

Early  one  morning  we  walked  over  to  Old  Town  to  visit 
Father  Ubach,  the  parish  priest,  with  whom  we  had  an 
appointment.  I  was  shown  the  mission  books,  consisting  of 
the  Book  of  Baptisms,  in  four  volumes,  the  first  one  extend- 
ing down  to  1822,  and  the  others  to  date.  The  Book  of  Mar- 
riages was  in  one  volume  and  complete  to  date.  Three 
volumes  comprise  the  Book  of  Deaths,  and  one  the  Book  of 
Confirmations.  Aside  from  the  sketch  by  Junfpcro  Scrra,  a 
copy  of  which  was  in  tlie  Hayes  collection,  the  volumes  were 
of  little  historic  value.  Father  Ubach  informed  us  of  a  man- 
uscript Indian  vocabulary  j)reserved  at  the  mission  of  San 
Juan  Bautista;  also  a  manuscript  of  his  own  on  the  natives 
of  his  parish,  of  which  there  were  then  twelve  hundred.  He 
kindly  gave  us  letters  to  the  padres  at  San  Juan  Capistrano 
and  San  Juan  Bautista. 

Departing  from  San  Diego,  we  called  at  the  missions  and  saw 
all  the  early  residents  possible,  notably  Cave  J.  Coutts  and  John 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH,  263 

Foster,  at  their  respective  ranchos  near  San  Luis  Rey,  from 
whom  we  received  encouragement  and  valuable  information. 

On  reaching  Los  Angeles,  had  I  been  there  at  the  coming 
of  the  Americans  I  might  have  obtained  documents  by  the 
bale,  and  freighted  a  vessel  with  them.  Had  I  even  been  there 
ten  years  before  I  might  have  secured  no  inconsiderable  quan- 
tity ;  but  during  this  time  many  heads  of  old  families  had 
died,  and  their  papers,  with  the  long  accumulations  of  rub- 
bish, had  been  burned. 

Most  of  this  was  fiction  or  exaggeration.  At  the  time  of 
the  secularization  there  had  accumulated  at  the  several  mis- 
sions the  materials  from  which  might  have  been  sifted  not 
only  their  complete  history,  but  thousands  of  interesting  inci- 
dents illustrative  of  that  peculiar  phase  of  society.  These 
once  scattered  and  destroyed,  there  never  was  any  consider- 
able quantity  elsewhere.  Old  Califomian  families  were  not 
as  a  rule  sufficiently  intelligent  to  write  or  receive  many  im- 
portant historical  documents,  or  to  discriminate  and  preserve 
writings  valuable  as  historical  evidence. 

Undoubtedly  at  the  death  of  a  paterfamilias,  in  some 
instances,  the  survivors  used  the  papers  he  had  preserved  in 
the  kindling  of  fires,  in  the  wrapping  of  articles  sent  away,  or 
in  the  making  of  cigarettes ;  but  that  during  the  century  of 
Spanish  occupation  in  California  much  historical  material 
had  accumulated  anywhere  except  in  government  offices  and 
at  the  missions  I  do  not  believe.  And  furthermore,  wherever 
it  had  so  happened  that  a  few  family  papers  had  been  pre- 
served, upon  any  manifestation  of  interest  in  or  effort  to 
obtain  possession  of  them,  their  quantity  and  importance 
were  greatly  magnified.  In  such  cases  three  documents  filled 
a  trunk,  and  a  package  a  foot  square  was  enlarged  by  rumor 
to  the  size  of  a  sea  chest. 

Not  far  from  the  Pico  house,  in  a  long  low  adobe  whose 
front  door  opened  from  a  back  piazza,  dwelt  the  fair  widow 
to  whom  Colonel  Coutts  had  given  me  a  letter. 

CaUing  on  her  one  evening  we  presented  our  letter,  which 
was  to  make  our  path  to  the  papers  easy.     Ah !  the  manu- 


264  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

script  of  her  father?  It  was  her  mother,  Mrs.  Bandini,  to 
whom  we  should  speak:  all  the  documents  of  Don  Juan 
belonged  to  her. 

Mrs.  Bandini  asked  if  I  needed  them  soon.  Yes ;  I  always 
needed  such  things  immediately.  She  could  not  possibly  touch 
the  trunk  until  the  return  of  her  son-in-law,  Charles  R.  John- 
son, who  was  then  at  San  Diego.  He  would  not  return  for  a 
fortnight,  and  I  could  not  wait.  The  old  lady  would  not 
move  without  him,  and  there  I  was  obliged  to  leave  it. 

It  was  necessary  I  should  have  that  material.  Bandini 
was  a  prominent  and  important  citizen  of  southern  California, 
one  of  the  few  who  united  abihty  and  patriotism  sufficient  to 
write  history.  I  saw  by  this  time  that  I  should  have  more 
material  on  northern  than  on  southern  California ;  that  is  to 
say,  my  northern  authorities  would  preponderate.  I  should 
have  at  my  command,  as  things  were  then  going,  more  nar- 
ratives and  individual  histories  written  from  a  northern  than 
from  a  southern  standpoint.  And  this  was  worthy  of  serious 
consideration.  For  a  long  time  the  north  and  the  south  were 
in  a  state  of  semi-antagonism,  and  their  respective  statements 
would  read  very  differently.  It  was  only  by  having  several 
accounts,  written  by  persons  belonging  to  either  side,  that 
anything  like  the  truth  could  be  ascertained. 

Obviously  it  would  be  very  much  as  the  son-in-law  should 
say.  I  was  not  acquainted  with  Johnson  personally,  but  by 
inquiry  I  ascertained  the  names  of  those  who  had  influence 
with  him,  and  these  next  day  I  did  not  fail  to  see.  There 
was  then  in  Los  Angeles,  Alfred  Robinson,  a  resident  of  San 
Francisco,  and  ^n  author.  He  was  intimate  at  the  Bandini 
mansion,  and  might  assist  me,  I  spoke  with  him  upon  the 
subject.  I  likewise  saw  Judge  Sepulveda,  Governor  Downey, 
Major  Truman,  and  others,  who  cordially  promised  their  influ- 
ence in  my  behalf.  Thus  for  the  present  I  was  obliged  to 
leave  it.  On  my  return  to  San  Francisco  I  continued  my 
efforts.  I  was  determined  never  to  let  the  matter  die.  I 
appealed  again  to  Colonel  Coutts,  and  to  several  Californians 
of  influence  in  various  parts  of  the  State.     The  result  was  that 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN    THE    SOUTH.  265 

about  six  months  after  my  first  attempt  I  succeeded  in  plac- 
ing the  valuable  documents  of  General  Bandini,  together  with 
his  manuscript  history  of  CaUfornia,  upon  the  shelves  of  my 
library,  there  to  remain.  At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Robinson, 
who  brought  the  papers  up  from  Los  Angeles,  I  sent  Mrs. 
Bandini  a  check ;  but  she  returned  it  to  me,  saying  that  she 
did  not  want  money  for  the  material. 

Pio  Pico,  ci-devaiit  governor  of  California  and  a  resident 
of  Los  Angeles,  Avas  not  in  the  city  at  the  time.  Subse- 
quently I  obtained  from  him  a  history  of  such  affairs  as  came 
within  his  knowledge,  of  which  I  shall  speak  again  hereafter. 
Olvera  professed  to  have  some  documents ;  professed  to  be 
writing  a  history  of  California;  had  long  and  earnestly  sought 
'to  obtain  possession  of  Bandini's  papers,  and  laughed  at  our 
efforts  in  a  direction  where  he  had  so  often  failed.  During 
the  short  conversation  we  had  with  Andres  Pico,  he  informed 
us,  as  Father  Ubach  had  said,  that  he  was  the  commissioner 
appointed  in  early  days  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  records, 
and  consequently  at  one  time  had  many  of  them  in  his  pos- 
session, including  those  of  San  Luis  Rey ;  but  most  of  them 
had  been  scattered  and  stolen,  and  now  he  had  only  those  at 
San  Fernando,  which  were  a  small  portion  of  those  once  in 
his  possession. 

In  Los  Angeles  at  this  time  were  many  old  friends  and 
newly-made  genial  acquaintances,  who. rendered  me  every 
attention.  Tuesday,  the  3d  of  March,  accompanied  by  a 
pleasant  party,  I  was  driven  out  to  San  Gabriel  mission, 
some  seven  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles.  Awaking  the  resi- 
dent priests,  Philip  Farrel  and  Joaquin  Bot  by  name,  we 
obtained  a  sight  of  the  mission  books.  Originally  bound  in 
flexible  cow-hide,  one  cover  with  a  flap  like  a  pocket-book 
and  the  other  mthout,  they  were  now  in  a  torn  condition.  I 
copied  the  title-page  of  the  Libro  de  Co?iJin?iacio/ies,  in  two 
volumes,  1771-1874,  which  was  signed,  as  most  of  the  mis- 
sion books  were,  Fr  Junipero  Serra,  Presid".  In  this  work 
were  several  notes  embodying  the  church  regulations  of  the 
sacrament  of  confirmation,  the  notes  being  usually  in  Span- 


266  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

ish,  with  church  rules  in  Latin.  The  other  books  preserved 
at  San  Gabriel  mission  were  Mairimonios,  two  volumes,  1 774- 
1855,  and  1858-74,  the  first  entry  being  April  19,  1774,  and 
signed  by  Junipero  Serra.  There  is  but  one  entry  in  this 
book  signed  by  the  president.  The  Entierros  and  Bautis- 
inos  were  also  there,  the  latter  in  five  volumes,  the  first  entry 
being  the  17th  of  March,  1796,  and  signed  Miguel  Sanches. 

Returning  to  town  by  way  of  the  celebrated  Rose  and 
Johnson  places,  we  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  visits. 
An  important  man  was  J.  J.  Warner,  who  agreed  to  write. 
To  make  the  promise  more  real,  I  purchased  a  blank-book, 
and  writing  on  the  first  page  Reminiscences  of  J.  J.  Warner, 
I  took  it  Vith  a  box  of  cigars  to  his  office,  and  received  his 
solemn  assurances.  By  close  attention  to  the  matter,  I  man- 
aged to  get  the  book  half  filled  with  original  material  within 
three  years,  which,  considering  the  a,lmost  universal  failure 
of  my  efforts  of  that  character,  I  regarded  as  something  won- 
derful. Judge  Sepiilveda  and  R.  M.  Widney  promised  to 
write,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  both  these  gentlemen  were  as 
good  as  their  word ;  and  further  than  this,  to  both  of  them 
I  am  under  many  other  obligations  for  kind  assistance  in 
procuring  historical  material  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles. 
Colonel  Howard,  not  the  illustrious  Volney  E.  of  Vigilance 
Committee  fame,  manifested  the  kindest  interest  in  our 
efforts,  thought  he  might  bring  some  influence  to  bear  on 
Mrs.  Bandini,  and  introduced  us  at  the  bishops'  residence, 
but  unfortunately  the  bishops,  Amat  and  Mora,  were  both 
absent.  I  do  not  know  that  they  would  have  been  of  any 
assistance  to  us;  on  the  contrary,  they  might  have  pre- 
vented my  getting  the  Bandini  papers.  Assuredly  the 
church  was  not  disposed  to  gather  mission  or  other  docu- 
ments for  my  library ;  whatever  may  have  been  its  course 
formerly,  of  that  kind  of  substance  to-day  it  keeps  all  and 
gathers  all  it  can. 

The  mission  books  of  San  Fernando  preserved  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Pico  family  were  found  to  be  as  follows :  Matri- 
inonios,  one  volume,  1797-1S47,  first  entry  October  8,  1797, 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH.  267 

signed  Francisco  Dumet;  Baiitismos,  one  volume,  1 798-1 852, 
first  entry  April  28,  1798,  signed  Francisco  Dumet;  Libro  de 
Patenies  y  de  Ynventario  pcrteneciente  a  la  Mision  de  S"  Fer- 
fia/ido  Rey  en  la  Nueva  California  aiio  de  1S06.  In  my  hasty 
examination  of  this  book  it  seemed  to  me  to  contain  infor- 
mation of  sufficient  value  to  warrant  my  sending  thither 
Mr.  Foster  to  copy  it.  In  like  manner  another  important 
work,  said  by  Don  Romulo  to  be  among  his  father's  papers, 
but  which  he  could  not  at  the  moment  lay  his  hands  on, 
should  be  looked  after.  Its  title  he  thought  to  be  some- 
thing as  follows :  La  Fundacion  de  la  Mision  de  San  Fer- 
najido  Rey,  por  el  Padre  Francisco  Dumet.  It  was  said  to 
contain  a  full  description  of  the  state  of  the  country  at  the 
time  when  the  mission  was  first  established.  Foster  failing, 
nothing  was  accomplished  toward  transferring  this  infor- 
mation to  the  library  until  the  visit  of  Mr.  Savage  to  Los 
Angeles,  nearly  four  years  later. 

At  San  Buenaventura  we  encountered  Bishop  Amat  and 
Father  Comapala.  The  latter  was  a  good  fellow  enough,  but  just 
now  in  an  exceeding  flutter.  He  would  do  anything  he  could 
for  us,  but  the  mission  books  contained  nothing,  absolutely 
nothing ;  he  and  his  were  at  my  disposal,  but  all  was  nothing. 
When  pressed  by  us  for  a  sight  of  this  nothing,  there  was  the 
same  nervous  response.  Nevertheless,  we  tortured  him  until 
the  books  were  produced,  fat  and  jolly  black-eyed  Bishop 
Amat  meanwhile  smiling  approvingly. 

Comapala  promised  to  write  his  experiences  for  me,  having 
come  to  the  country  in  1850,  He  said  we  should  by  all 
means  see  Ramon  Valdes,  an  ancient  of  San  Buenaventura. 
Likewise  he  gave  me  a  letter  to  Jose  de  Amaz,  another  old 
resident,  and  straightway  we  hastened  to  find  these  walking 
histories  and  to  wring  them  out  upon  our  pages.  But  before 
leaving.  Bishop  Amat  had  assured  us  that  his  librar}-,  which 
we  had  not  been  able  to  see  at  Los  Angeles  on  account  of 
his  absence,  contained  nothing  relating  to  our  subject  save 
Palou's  life  of  Junipero  Serra.  He  had  made  some  researches 
himself  among  the  missions  for  historical  matter,  but  without 


268  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

success.  He  expressed  the  opinion  that  most  of  the  mis- 
sion archives  were  sent  to  the  college  of  San  Fernando  in 
Mexico,  but  said  he  had  seen  documents  on  the  subject  in  the 
royal  archives  of  Seville,  in  Spain.  The  bishop  also  kindly 
gave  me  a  letter  to  the  padre  at  San  Antonio,  the  oldest  of 
the  Californian  padres.  The  missions  farther  north,  accord- 
ing to  Bishop  Amat,  were  in  a  miserable  state,  the  building 
at  Santa  Ines  having  been  used  for  the  storage  of  hay, 
and  several  times  fired  by  malicious  persons.  At  San  Carlos 
mission  the  padre  who  had  attempted  to  reside  there  was 
driven  away  several  years  previous  by  threats  of  shooting. 

Mounting  the  stage  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.  the  day  after  our 
arrival,  we  reached  Santa  Barbara  at  half-past  eight.  The 
hotels  were  crowded,  but  the  stage  agent,  unknown  to  me, 
had  kindly  engaged  rooms  for  us,  so  that  we  were  soon 
made  quite  comfortable.  The  next  day  being  Sunday,  we 
attended  church,  rested,  and  wrote  up  our  journals. 

A  day  or  two  afterward  I  called  at  the  city  hall  to  look 
after  the  county  archives,  but  neither  the  clerk  nor  the  re- 
corder knew  of  the  existence  of  anything  of  the  kind  save 
the  copies  of  a  few  pueblo  land-titles.  From  Mr.  Hughes, 
however,  an  attorney  long  friendly  to  our  business,  I  learned 
that  some  years  ago  the  archives  Avere  taken  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  those  of  a  general  nature  were  retained  by  the 
United  States  surveyor-general,  and  the  rest  returned  and 
placed  in  a  tea-chest  for  safe-keeping.  At  the  next  change 
of  county  officers  the  chest  with  its  contents  disappeared,  no 
one  knew  whither. 

Our  next  interview  was  with  the  parish  priest,  Padre  Jaime 
Vila,  probably  the  politest  man  in  California.  All  the  padres 
were  polite,  but  Father  Jaime  overflowed  with  politeness. 
As  he  showed  us  the  mission  books  there  was  a  refreshing 
absence  of  the  trepidation  common  with  other  j^adres  which 
manifested  itself  as  soon  as  the  books  were  produced  and 
continued  until  they  were  hidden  again,  meanwhile  persist- 
ently assuring  us  that  their  contents  were  of  no  importance, 
and  being  evidently  much  averse  to  our  taking  notes  from 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH.  269 

them.  Father  Jaime,  Hke  a  sensible  man,  seemed  pleased  to 
show  his  books,  and  took  pains  to  explain  the  contents  of 
each,  evidently  fearing  in  the  operation  neither  the  thunder- 
bolts of  the  Almighty  nor  the  machinations  of  Satan.  We 
found  here  four  volumes  o{  Baieiisfnos,  1 782-1874,  the  first 
entry  being  signed  Pedro  Benito  Cambon.  So  far  as  could 
be  ascertained  by  a  hasty  examination  the  second  volume 
contained  the  baptisms  of  aboriginals  only.  Father  Jaime 
stated  that  separate  lists  were  kept  up  to  a  certain  date,  and 
afterward  all  were  entered  in  one  book.  The  total  number 
of  entries  in  the  regular  book  was  3591,  and  in  the  Indian 
book  4771.  The  E7iticrros  was  in  three  volumes,  the  title 
of  volume  i.  being  by  Junipero  Serra.  The  first  entry,  De- 
cember 22,  1782,  was  signed  Vicente  de  Santa  Maria.  Be- 
sides which  were  two  volumes  of  Alatrimonios  ;  two  volumes 
of  Confirmaciones  ;  one  volume  of  lists,  or  invoices  of  articles 
furnished  the  mission  of  San  Buenaventura  from  1791  to  1810, 
with  prices ;  two  volumes  of  alphabetical  lists  of  persons  in 
the  mission  of  Santa  Barbara,  with  dates  of  marriage,  con- 
firmation, etc.,  v\'ith  some  miscellaneous  tables,  including 
lists  of  persons  transferred  to  and  from  the  mission ;  and  one 
volume  entitled  Libra  en  que  se  apiinta  la  Ropa  que  se  dis- 
tribuye  d  los  Indios  de  esta  Mision  de  San  Buenaventura, 
1806-16. 

These  books  were  kept  at  Father  Jaime's  residence,  which 
was  attached  to  the  parish  church  in  town.  Thence  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  mission,  about  one  mile  north-east  of  the  town, 
on  the  side  hill  overlooking  the  Santa  Barbara  plain.  This 
mission,  unlike  any  we  had  hitherto  seen,  was  kept  in  perfect 
repair.  It  was  occupied  as  a  Franciscan  college  and  mon- 
astery, and  the  monks  in  gray  robes  and  shaven  crowns 
called  to  mind  those  of  the  south  of  Europe  in  the  olden  time. 
Of  the  college,  Father  O'Keefe,  a  determined,  man-of-the- 
world-looking  Irish  priest,  was  president.  One  of  the  few 
remaining  of  the  early  padres  was  the  aged  Father  Gonzalez. 
Some  time  since  he  resigned  his  position  as  guardian,  and 
was  now  partially  paralyzed.    He  nevertheless  recognized  us 


270  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

and  our  mission;  as  we  were  presented  to  him  he  insisted 
upon  rising  and  uncovering  his  head,  and  directed  that  every 
facihty  be  afforded  us. 

But  in  the  present  guardian  of  the  Franciscan  college, 
Friar  Jose  Maria  Romo,  more  than  in  any  of  the  clergy  con- 
nected with  the  mission,  I  found  my  ideal  of  a  monk.  He 
was  arrayed  in  a  long  gray  gown,  tied  with  a  cord  round  the 
waist,  and  beads  and  cross  pendent.  His  hair  was  neatly 
cut,  and  the  crown  of  the  head  shaven.  His  eye  was  keen 
and  kindly,  his  features  broadly  intelligent,  and  in  his  air  and 
bearing  was  a  manliness  rarely  found  associated  with  religious 
learning.  He  was  one  who  could  be  true  at  once  to  himself 
and  to  his  faith,  neither  sacrificing  his  humanity  to  his  piety  nor 
one  jot  of  piety  to  any  earthly  passion.  At  this  time  Father 
Romo  had  not  been  long  from  Rome.  Italian,  French,  and 
Spanish  he  spoke  fluently,  but  not  English.  He  was  a  man 
of  weighty  and  learned  presence,  yet  modest  withal  and  affa- 
ble.    As  successor  to  Father  Gonzalez  he  was  a  happy  choice. 

We  found  the  archives  of  Santa  Barbara  mission  both 
bulky  and  important.  They  consisted  of  correspondence  of 
the  padres,  statistics  of  the  several  missions,  reports,  accounts, 
inventories,  and  the  like,  including  some  documents  of  the 
pueblo  and  presidio,  as  well  as  of  the  mission.  All  these 
were  in  the  form  of  folded  papers,  neatly  filed  in  packages, 
and  labeled  with  more  or  less  distinctness.  They  were  kept 
in  a  cupboard  consisting  of  an  aperture  about  two  feet  square 
sunk  into  a  partition  wall  to  the  depth  of  about  one  foot,  and 
covered  with  plain  folding  doors.  As  we  had  never  before 
heard  of  this  deposit,  and  as  it  was  apparently  not  known  by 
any  one  beyond  the  mission  precincts,  we  regarded  it  a  rare 
discovery,  the  first  real  literary  bonanza  we  had  unearthed 
during  our  excursion. 

The  archives  of  this  mission  seemed  to  have  escaped  the 
fate  of  all  the  rest.  The  mission  was  never  wholly  abandoned 
at  any  time;  it  was  never  rifled  of  its  books  and  papers, 
either  by  priests  returning  to  Mexico  or  by  the  United  States 
government.     Father  Gonzalez  assured  me  that  this  cupboard 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN    THE    SOUTH.  27 1 

had  never  been  disturbed,  that  it  was  then  just  as  it  had  been 
left  by  the  early  fathers ;  and  such  to  every  appearance  was 
the  fact.  That  Doctor  Taylor  with  his  indefatigable  industry 
should  have  allowed  to  escape  him  this  rich  treasure  can  only 
be  accounted  for  upon  the  supposition  that  its  existence  w^as 
kept  secret. 

Besides  the  folded  papers  mentioned,  there  were  the  follow- 
ing in  the  form  of  manuscript  books,  pamphlets,  and  printed 
government  regulations  with  official  signatures  :  Diario  de  la 
caniinata  que  hizo  el  padre  prefecto  Pay  eras  en  union  del  padre 
Sanchez  por  la  sierra  desde  San  Diego  hasia  San  Gabriel  182 1. 
Libro  que  coniiene  los  Apuntes  de  siembras,  cosechas  y  demas 
asuntos  propios  de  U7ia  Misiofi.  Catecismo  Politico  arreglado  a 
la  constitucion  de  la  vionarquia  Espaiiola  —  for  the  Califomian 
aborigines.  Qiiaderno  de  estados  e  Ynformes  de  esias  misiones 
de  la  Alia  California  del  afio  de  1822.  Descripcion  de  la  Ope- 
racion  Cesdrea  —  apparently  an  extract  copied  from  some 
medical  work.  Libro  de  las  Siembras  y  Cosechas  de  la  Mision 
de  Santa  Barbara  que  comienza  desde  el  ano  de  1808 — mostly 
blank.  A  book  of  sermons  w^ritten  and  preached  by  the  padres 
in  California,  with  an  index.  Libro  de  Quenias  que  esta  Mi- 
sion de  Santa  Barbara  tiene  con  la  habilitacion  de  este  presidio 
del  mismo  nombre  y  con  otros  varios  particulares  para  este  am 
de  I7g2.  A  proclamation  by  Governor  Alvarado.  Three 
criminal  trials  of  persons  for  polygamy.  Grammars  and  vo- 
cabularies of  the  aborigines  of  different  missions,  in  two  vol- 
umes, extensive  and  important,  but  very  difficult  to  read. 
Accounts  of  the  different  missions,  in  three  volumes,  181 6 
and  subsequently.  Lnforme  de  la  Mision  de  Santa  Barbara 
sita,  etc.,  asi  de  lo  c spiritual  como  de  lo  temporal y  comprehende 
desde  el  4  de  Diciembre  del  a  ho  de  1786,  que  fuc  el  de  la  fuii- 
dacion,  hasta  el  dia  ji  de  Diciembre  de  1787.  Factura  de  ires 
tercios  de  ge'neros,  etc.  Ordenes  —  of  the  bishops  of  Sonora 
and  California;  important.  Testimojiio  de  la  Real  Junta 
sobrc  el  nuevo  reglaniento  e  instruccion  formada  por  Don  Josef 
de  Echeveste  para  la  peninsula  de  California  y  Dept.  de  San 
Bias,  1773.     Qiiaderno  en  que  se  llcva  la  cuenta  de  la  cera, 


272  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

candelcros,  y  o/ras  cosas  que  se  han  coiii^rado  para  la  Iglesia 
de  Santa  Barbara  desdc  el  afio  de  i8jO — to  1856. 

To  examine  these  documents  at  any  length  at  this  time 
was  impracticable.  I  asked  permission  to  take  the  contents 
of  the  cupboard  to  San  Francisco  to  copy,  but  Father  Romo 
assured  me  it  was  impossible,  that  he  could  not  assume  the 
responsibility  of  letting  them  go  beyond  the  mission  walls. 
I  offered  bonds  for  the  safe  return  of  every  paper.  "  Your 
money  could  not  restore  them,"  said  Father  Romo,  "in  case 
they  were  lost  by  fire  or  water;  then  I  should  be  censured." 
Permission  was  freely  given  me,  however,  to  copy  as  much 
as  I  pleased  within  the  mission  buildings,  where  every  facility 
would  be  given  me ;  of  which  kind  offer  I  subsequently  made 
avail,  as  will  be  mentioned  hereafter,  transferring  the  contents 
of  the  cupboard,  that  is  to  say,  all  the  valuable  part  of  it,  to 
my  library  by  means  of  copyists. 

At  five  A.  M.  the  loth  of  March  we  left  Santa  Barbara  by 
stage,  and  were  set  down  at  Ballard's  about  two  o'clock. 
Early  next  morning  in  a  farm  wagon  we  drove  out  to  the 
college  of  Guadalupe,  some  five  miles  south-eastward,  and 
thence  to  Santa  Ines  mission.  The  books  of  Purisima  mis- 
sion being  at  Santa  Ines,  we  concluded  not  to  visit  the  former, 
'  as  there  was  nothing  there  specially  to  be  seen. 

The  mission  library  at  Santa  Ines  was  the  largest  we  had 
yet  seen,  but  was  composed  almost  exclusively  of  theological 
works  printed  in  Spain.  Besides  the  regular  Purisima  mis- 
sion books  I  saw  at  Santa  In6s  a  curious  old  book  from 
Purisima,  partly  printed  and  partly  in  manuscript.  It  was 
an  olla  podrida  of  scraps,  notes,  accounts,  etc.,  with  a  treatise 
on  music.  Marking  such  parts  of  it  as  I  desired,  I  engaged 
the  priest  to  make  and  send  me  a  copy. 

A  most  uncomfortable  night-ride  in  the  rain  brought  us  to 
San  Luis  Obispo.  There,  as  before,  we  drew  plans  of  the 
mission  buildings,  examined  the  books,  took  several  dicta- 
tions, and  i)roceeded  on  our  way.  As  we  approached  the 
northern  end  of  the  line  of  early  ecclesiastical  settlement,  the 
missions  lay  some  distance  away  from  the  stage  route,  and  I 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH.  273 

concluded  to  leave  those  nearest  home  for  another  occasion. 
Hence  from  San  Luis  Obispo  we  all  returned,  reaching  San 
Francisco  the  15th  of  March,  well  i:)leased  with  our  excur- 
sion. 

In  transmitting  to  me  the  remainder  of  his  material,  Judge 
Hayes  proved  himself  a  high-minded  and  disinterested  lover 
of  history,  ready  to  give  himself,  his  time,  and  thoughts  to 
the  cause.  "  I  wish  to  finish  up  my  collection,"  he  writes 
me,  "  so  that  you  may  have  all  the  facts  in  my  possession 
that  may  in  any  way  be  useful  to  you." 

First  he  completed  and  forwarded  to  me  the  large  quarto 
volume  of  Alta  Califoynia  Missions  which  I  had  left  with 
him.  In  a  letter  dated  the  14th  of  October,  1874,  he  says: 
"  I  send  by  express  the  two  volumes  of  Indian  Traits.  Mr. 
Luttrell  did  not  come  down  with  the  commission  sent  by  the 
secretary  of  the  interior.  I  have  therefore  no  such  use  for 
this  collection  now  as  I  supposed  I  might  have.  I  have 
been  able  to  add  but  a  few  matters  to  it.  Whatever  further 
information  I  may  collect  must  go  into  another  volume. 
Emigrant  Notes  now  only  waits  for  photographs  to  be  com- 
pleted. The  board  of  supervisors  of  San  Bernardino  directed 
a  photographer  to  furnish  me  with  twelve  views  which  I  had 
designated.  Day  before  yesterday  our  photographer  took 
for  me  twenty  views  around  the  Old  Town,  which  he  will  get 
ready  immediately." 

Several  visits  were  made  by  Judge  Hayes  to  Los  Angeles 
during  the  following  year,  at  which  times  he  used  his  ut- 
most influence  to  obtain  from  Olvera  and  others  historical 
information,  but  without  much  success.  Finally,  about  the 
beginning  of  1876,  I  engaged  Judge  Hayes  to  drop  his  pro- 
fessional duties  for  a  time,  take  up  his  residence  at  Los 
Angeles,  and  devote  his  entire  thoughts  and  energies  to  se- 
curing for  me  the  historical  information  which  was  so  rapidly 
fading  in  that  vicinity. 

Being  himself  executor  and  legal  adviser  for  several  estates, 
he  was  enabled  to  secure  some  material  from  them.  In  re- 
gard to  the  county  archives,  he  examined  the  entire  collection 
18 


274  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

of  twelve  volumes  of  original  documents  which  I  had  seen 
at  Los  Angeles,  and  made  abstracts,  as  he  had  done  with  the 
San  Diego  archives,  except  that,  these  being  more  voluminous, 
he  employed  two  copyists  to  write  out  in  full  such  documents 
as  he  designated.  Besides  an  abstract,  he  made  for  me  a 
complete  index  of  those  papers,  which  I  found  very  useful. 
Thus  all  that  could  be  valuable  to  history  was  taken  from 
these  archives  and  transferred  to  my  library,  where  it  was 
preserved  in  large  and  strongly  bound  volumes.  It  was  a 
long  and  expensive  piece  of  work,  but  there  was  no  other 
feasible  plan  which  could  place  me  in  possession  of  the  ma- 
terial ;  and,  indeed,  I  considered  myself  fortunate  in  securing 
the  services  of  one  so  able,  experienced,  and  enthusiastic  as 
Judge  Hayes.  But  for  him,  the  expense  might  easily  have 
been  doubled,  and  the  work  not  half  so  well  performed. 

The  next  most  important  work  to  be  done  in  the  way  of 
obtaining  material  was  to  secure  copies  of  the  archives  of 
Santa  Barbara  mission.  Of  the  men  employed  by  Judge 
Hayes  in  my  behalf  at  Los  Angeles,  Edward  F.  Murray 
proved  to  be  the  best.  I  endeavored  to  induce  Judge  Hayes 
to  go  to  Santa  Barbara  and  make  an  abstract  of  the  archives 
there,  as  he  had  done  at  San  Diego  and  at  Los  Angeles. 
But  professional  duties  would  not  longer  be  thrust  aside ;  and, 
besides,  his  failing  health  warned  him  to  put  his  house  in 
order  for  that  most  unwelcome  of  visitors,  death. 

Mr.  Murray  was  recommended  very  highly  by  Judge 
Hayes  for  the  Santa  Barbara  mission,  and  as  he  expressed 
his  willingness  to  go,  an  engagement  was  effected,  beginning 
about  the  middle  of  June,  1876,  and  which  continued  with  a 
few  interruptions  to  1878. 

He  was  a  faithful  and  competent  man,  and  his  abstracts 
on  the  whole  gave  satisfaction.  It  was  no  easy  matter  for  a 
writer  in  San  Francisco  to  send  a  stranger  to  work  on  a 
distant  mass  of  papers,  concerning  which  neither  had  much 
knowledge,  and  have  the  requisite  material  properly  taken 
out;  but  Mr.  Murray,  besides  being  a  man  of  quick  percep- 


HISTORIC   RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH.  275 

tion,  thorough  education,  and  wide  experience,  had  served 
so  long  and  so  well  under  the  able  directorship  of  Judge 
Hayes  that  there  was  really  less  difficulty  than  I  had  antici- 
pated. 

A  further  most  important  work  in  southern  California  was 
that  performed  for  me  by  Mr.  Thomas  Savage,  an  account 
of  which  I  now  proceed  to  give  : 

After  a  preliminary  examination  of  the  county  archives 
at  San  Jose  and  Salinas,  and  the  papers  at  the  Jesuit  college 
and  parochial  church  at  Santa  Clara,  with  several  copyists, 
notably  Sehores  Piha,  Corona,  and  Gomez,  Mr.  Savage  pro- 
ceeded in  March,  1877,  to  Salinas  and  began  operations  in  a 
large  room  which  he  rented  near  the  office  of  the  recorder, 
Jacob  R.  Leese,  who  afforded  him  every  facility. 

Despatching  Gomez  in  search  of  native  Californians  from 
whom  a  narrative  of  recollections  was  desired,  INIr.  Savage 
placed  before  the  others  books  of  records,  and  directed  them 
what  and  how  to  abstract.  Prominent  among  those  who 
gave  in  their  testimony  at  this  time  were  Francisco  Arce  and 
Francisco  Rico,  the  latter  detailing  the  particulars  of  1845-6, 
the  wars  of  the  revolution,  the  campaign  against  IMichel- 
torena,  and  the  actions  of  the  Californians  against  the 
United  States  forces.  Thus  passed  four  weeks,  when,  the 
work  at  Salinas  being  accomplished,  the  copyists  were  sent 
back  to  San  Francisco,  and  Mr.  Savage  proceeded  to  Mon- 
terey. Here  were  important  personages,  for  instance,  Flo- 
rencio  Serrano,  Estevan  de  la  Torre,  Mauricio  Gonzalez, 
John  Chamberlin,  and  James  Meadows,  the  last  named 
being  one  of  the  prisoners  sent  from  California  to  Mexico  in 
1840.  Their  and  other  dictations,  with  a  bundle  of  original 
papers,  were  the  result  of  four  weeks'  labor  at  this  place,  after 
which  Mr.  Savage  returned  to  San  Francisco. 

A  second  trip  began  the  21st  of  May,  when  with  the  same 
copyists  Mr.  Savage  went  to  San  Jose,  and  after  a  month's 
labor  secured  to  the  library  all  that  was  required  from  the 
public  archives,  consisting  of  six  volumes  of  records  and 
twenty-five  hundred  loose  documents,  every  one  of  which 


276  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Mr.  Savage  carefully  examined  for  historical  data.  Among 
those  from  whom  dictations  were  then  taken  was  Eusebio 
Galindo.  From  the  heirs  of  the  late  Antonio  Sunol  a  collec- 
tion of  letters  by  John  A.  Sutter  was  obtained. 

Sending  the  copyists  back  to  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Savage 
proceeded  with  Gomez  to  Santa  Cruz,  where  the  books  and 
loose  papers  of  the  mission  were  placed  under  contribution, 
and  also  the  public  papers,  which  were  mostly  of  the  old 
town  of  Branciforte.  From  Father  Hawes  and  Mr.  McKin- 
ney,  county  clerk,  Mr.  Savage  received  many  favors.  Near 
Watsonville  hved  Jose  Amador,  son  of  Pedro  Amador,  one 
of  the  soldiers  present  at  the  founding  of  San  Diego  and 
Monterey,  and  for  many  years  sergeant  in  the  San  Fran- 
cisco presidial  company.  "  I  found  this  man  of  ninety-six 
years,"  writes  Mr.  Savage,  "  who  had  at  one  time  been 
wealthy,  and  after  whom  Amador  county  was  named,  living 
in  great  poverty  under  the  care  of  his  youngest  daughter, 
who  is  married  and  has  many  children.  He  granted  my  re- 
quest without  asking  gratuity,  and  in  six  days  narrated  two 
hundred  and  forty  pages  of  original  information.  I  used  to 
take  every  day  something  to  the  children,  and  occasionally 
a  bottle  of  Bourbon  to  warm  the  old  man's  heart."  The  17th 
of  July  Mr.  Savage  was  back  in  San  Francisco. 

As  the  history  of  California  progressed  it  became  evident 
that,  notwithstanding  the  mass  of  material  in  hand,  namely 
the  Hayes  collection,  mission,  government,  municipal,  and 
private  archives,  transcripts  made  by  Hayes,  Murray,  Savage, 
and  others,  there  were  gaps  which  yet  more  thorough  research 
alone  would  fill ;  or  rather,  from  a  fuller  insight  into  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  reports  of  intelligent  persons,  I  was  convinced 
that  important  information  remained  yet  unearthed,  and  I 
could  not  rest  satisfied  without  it.  There  were  church  records 
to  be  looked  into  and  utilized  at  nearly  all  the  former  mis- 
sions between  San  Diego  and  San  Juan ;  and  moreover,  it 
was  important  to  procure  the  version  of  old  Californians  and 
others  in  the  southern  counties  on  the  sectional  quarrels  there 
existing,  especially  between  the  years  1831   and  1846,  and 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH.  277 

even  appearing  during  the  last  struggle  of  the  Califomians 
and  Mexicans  against  United  States  occupation.  Till  now, 
though  the  surefios  and  iiortcfws  were  equally  represented  in 
the  contemporary  records  obtained,  yet  too  much  of  the 
modern  dictated  testimony  had  described  those  occurrences 
from  the  northern,  or  Monterey  and  Sonoma,  points  of  view. 
Men  and  women  still  lived  in  the  south  who  had  taken  an 
active  part  in  or  had  been  mtnesses  of  those  troubles ;  and 
from  them  more  or  less  unbiassed  accounts  might  be  obtained. 
Others  possessed  knowledge  derived  from  their  sires,  and  old 
documents  worth  securing  from  the  careless  hands  which  had 
destroyed  so  many. 

Mr.  Savage  accordingly,  well  provided  with  letters,  took 
passage  the  6th  of  October,  1877,  on  board  the  steamer 
Senator,  which  carried  him  to  Santa  Monica,  whence  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Los  Angeles,  and  was  soon  at  work  upon  the 
dictation  of  Pio  Pico,  formerly  governor  of  California,  carry- 
ing on  at  the  same  time  the  examination  and  copying  of  the 
papers  of  Ignacio  Coronel  and  Manuel  Requena.  To  these 
experiences  original  documents  were  added,  some  from  the 
estate  of  Andres  Pico ;  from  J.  J.  Warner  the  manuscript 
volume  of  his  Recollections  was  obtained.  Papers  and  rem- 
iniscences were  further  procured  from  Pedro  Carrillo  and 
Jose  Lugo.  To  Antonio  F.  Coronel,  Mr.  Savage  expressed 
the  highest  obligations ;  also  to  Governor  Downey  and  Judge 
Sepulveda.  Bishop  Mora,  under  instructions  from  Bishop 
Amat,  loaned  Mr.  Savage  twelve  manuscript  books,  permitted 
him  free  access  to  the  episcopal  archives,  and  furnished  him 
a  letter  authorizing  all  priests  within  the  diocese  in  charge  of 
mission  records  to  permit  such  extracts  from  them  as  he 
might  desire. 

To  the  mission  of  San  Gabriel  Mr.  Savage  proceeded  in 
the  latter  part  of  November,  and  found  Father  Bot  most 
obliging.  Hereabout  dictations  were  obtained  from  Benjamin 
D.  Wilson,  Victoriano  Vega,  and  Amalia  Perez,  stewardess 
of  the  mission,  and  well  informed  upon  mission  life,  habits 
of  the  padres,  and  manners  and  customs  of  the  Cahfomians. 


278  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Next  came  Spadra,  and  a  dictation  from  old  Pablo  Vejar, 
famous  in  military  mutinies,  for  which  he  had  been  sent  a 
prisoner  to  Mexico.  Escaping  thence,  he  returned,  fought 
the  Americans  at  San  Pascual,  and  was  taken  prisoner ;  once 
rich,  he  was  now  ashamed  to  ask  Mr.  Savage  into  his  cabin. 
Then  to  Pomona,  to  see  the  Englishman,  Michael  White,  who 
came  to  the  coast  in  181 7,  and  settled  in  Alta  CaHfomia 
in  1828.  Thence  Mr.  Savage  returned  to  San  Gabriel.  At 
Los  Nietos  was  seen  Jose  Maria  Romero,  a  Californian  of 
ninety;  at  San  Juan  Capistrano,  the  mission  books;  then 
followed  a  dictation  from  John  Foster,  of  Santa  Margarita 
rancho,  an  examination  of  the  mission  books  at  San  Luis 
Rey,  and  more  dictations  from  Juan  Avila  and  Michael 
Kraszewski.  At  San  Diego,  Juana  Osuna  and  Jose  Maria 
Estudillo  furnished  information.  Fortunately  the  widow  of 
Moreno,  government  secretary  under  Pico,  was  at  San  Diego, 
where  she  had  brought  from  lower  California  a  trunk  filled 
with  the  papers  of  her  late  husband,  who  used  to  endorse 
even  ordinary  letters  "A  mi  archive,  apuntes  para  la  his- 
toria."  It  seems  here  was  another  dreaming  of  history-writing. 
"  The  papers  are  indeed  interesting  in  an  historical  point  of 
view,"  says  Mr,  Savage,  who  so  ingratiated  himself  with  the 
widow  as  to  gain  access  to  the  trunk ;  "  Moreno  had  not  only 
been  secretary  in  upper  California,  but  had  taken  part  in  the 
war  against  the  United  States  in  1846,  and  for  several  years 
was  the  gefe  politico  of  the  region  called  the  northern  frontier 
of  lower  California."  Sehora  Moreno  returned  to  her  rancho 
at  Guadalupe,  leaving  her  documents  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Savage. 

Narciso  Botello  was  a  man  of  character,  and  though  now 
poor,  had  held  many  important  positions,  and  was  an  active 
l)articipant  in  public  affairs  from  1833  to  1847.  He  was  in- 
duced to  wait  on  Mr.  Savage  at  north  San  Diego  and  give 
his  experiences,  which  were  rich  in  historical  events,  manners 
and  customs,  education,  and  judicial  processes. 

Throughout  the  entire  expedition  Mr.  Savage  was  untiring 
in  his  efforts,  which  were  not  always  attended  with  encourag- 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN    THE    SOUTH.  279 

ing  success.  But  fortune  smiled  on  him  during  January  of 
1878,  though  the  face  of  the  sun  was  clouded  and  the  roads 
in  bad  condition  from  excessive  rains.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  Judge  Hayes  was  deep  in  two  large  collections  of 
documents  which  he  had  shortly  before  obtained,  one  from 
Mr.  Alexander,  son-in-law  of  Requena,  and  the  other  from 
Coronel,  the  former  containing  the  valuable  diary  of  Mr. 
Melius.  All  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  son,  Mr.  Chaun- 
cey  Hayes,  who  resided  at  his  rancho,  five  miles  from  San 
Luis  Rey.  From  him  Mr.  Savage,  now  on  his  homeward 
way,  obtained  "  two  cases  pretty  well  crammed  with  manu- 
scripts and  newspaper  slips,  every  one  of  which  contained 
some  information  on  the  Californias  and  on  other  parts  of 
the  Pacific  coast.  They  were  taken  to  San  Luis  Rey  under 
a  heavy  rain,  which,  however,  did  no  damage.  After  some 
carpentering,  to  render  the  cases  secure,  I  arranged  for  their 
conveyance  to  San  Diego,  thence  to  be  shipped  to  San  Fran- 
cisco." Mr.  Savage  does  not  forget  the  kindness  of  Judge 
Egan,  Doctor  Crane,  Pablo  Pryor,  Juan  Avila,  Father  Mut, 
and  others. 

Back  to  Los  Angeles,  and  again  en  route,  armed  with  a 
letter  from  the  best  of  our  southern  friends,  Judge  Sepulveda, 
to  Ignacio  del  Valle.  A  warm  welcome,  a  dictation,  and  all 
the  documents  the  place  afibrded,  followed  a  hard  ride  to  the 
famous  rancho  of  Camulos.  Besides  extracts  from  the  mis- 
sions here  obtained  were  the  reminiscences  of  Jose  Arnaz, 
Ramon  Valdes,  and  others. 

The  I  St  of  March,  at  Santa  Barbara,  Mr.  Savage  joined 
Mr.  Murray,  then  engaged  on  the  De  la  Guerra  papers,  kindly 
loaned  him  by  Mr.  Dibblee,  administrator  of  the  estate. 
From  early  morning  until  far  into  the  night,  Sundays  and 
other  days,  Mr.  Savage  was  soon  engaged  on  the  mission 
books,  pubUc  and  private  documents,  and  in  taking  dicta- 
tions from  Mrs.  Ord,  one  of  the  De  la  Guerra  daughters, 
Agustin  Janssens,  Apolinaria  Lorenzana,  and  Rafael  Gon- 
zalez. Small  but  very  valuable  collections  of  papers  were 
received  from  Concepcion  Pico,  sister  of  Governor  Pico,  and 


28o  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Dolores  Dominguez,  the  two  ladies  being  the  widows  of 
Domingo  and  Jose  Carrillo.  Many  family  archives  had  here 
by  foolish  heirs  been  wilfully  burned  or  used  for  making 
cigarettes.  "The  results  in  Santa  Barbara,"  Mr.  Savage 
writes,  "  from  March  2d  to  April  4th  were  about  four  hun- 
dred pages  of  dictations,  over  two  thousand  documents,  and 
two  hundred  pages  of  manuscript  from  the  mission  books. 
Much  time  was  spent  in  vain  search  for  papers  not  existing." 
Subsequently  Mr.  Murray  obtained  dictations  from  the  Ameri- 
can pioneers  of  that  locality,  notably  from  the  old  trapper 
Nidever,  who  came  overland  to  California  in  1832. 

The  researches  of  Mr.  Savage  met  with  some  disappoint- 
ment at  San  Luis  Obispo,  though,  through  the  courteousness 
of  Father  Roussel,  the  widow  Bonilla,  Charles  Dana,  Maria 
Inocente  Pico,  widow  of  Miguel  Avila,  and  Jose  de  Jesus 
Pico,  the  results  were  important.  These  all  did  much. 
Inocente  Garcia  also  gave  one  hundred  and  ten  pages,  and 
Canuto  Boronda  and  Ignacio  Ezquer  valuable  contributions. 
The  very  interesting  diary  of  Walter  Murray  was  kindly  lent 
by  his  widow.  On  a  fearfully  stormy  night,  at  the  risk  of  his 
life,  Mr.  Savage,  accompanied  by  Jose  de  Jesus  Pico,  visited 
the  rancho  of  Senora  de  Avila  in  the  interests  of  history, 
and  there  received  every  kindness. 

I  have  not  the  space  in  this  chapter  to  follow  Mr.  Savage 
further.  Many  journeys  he  made  for  the  library,  and  en- 
countered many  experiences ;  and  great  were  the  resulting 
benefits  to  Califomian  history.  Though  less  ostentatious 
than  some,  his  abilities  were  not  surpassed  by  any.  In  the 
written  narrative  given  me  of  his  several  adventures,  which  is 
full  of  interesting  incidents  and  important  historical  expla- 
nations, the  keenest  disappointment  is  manifested  over  fail- 
ures ;  nevertheless  his  success  was  gratifying,  and  can  never  be 
repeated.  During  the  remainder  of  this  expedition,  which 
lasted  eight  months,  ending  at  San  Francisco  early  in  June, 
Mr.  Savage  secured  to  the  library  the  collections  of  Carlos 
01  vera  of  Chualar,  and  Rafael  Pinto  of  Watsonville,  "  con- 


HISTORIC    RESEARCHES    IN   THE    SOUTH.  201 

taining  so  much  valuable  matter,"  he  says,  "  that  the  history 
of  California  would  not  have  been  complete  without  them." 
Pinto  was  collector  of  the  port  at  San  Francisco  at  the  time 
of  the  American  occupation ;  he  also  gave  his  reminiscences. 
Mr.  Savage  did  not  cease  his  efforts  until  the  missions  of 
San  Rafael,  San  Jose,  and  San  Francisco  were  searched,  and 
material  extracted  from  the  state  Ubrary  at  Sacramento.  The 
old  archives  at  the  offices  of  the  secretary  of  state  and  county 
clerk,  at  Sacramento,  were  likewise  examined,  and  notes 
taken  from  the  several  court  records. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HISTORIC   EXPLORATIONS   NORTHWARD. 

It  is  undeniable  that  the  exercise  of  a  creative  power,  that  a  free  cre- 
ative activity,  is  the  highest  function  of  man ;  it  is  proved  to  be  so  by 
man's  finding  in  it  his  true  happiness. — Matthew  Arnold. 

IN  company  with  Mrs.  Bancroft,  on  the  30th  of  April,  1878, 
I  sailed  for  Vancouver  Island,  with  the  view  of  returning 
by  land.  After  five  days  and  nights  of  tempestuous  bufifet- 
ings,  though  without  special  discomfort,  we  safely  landed  at 
Esquimalt,  and  drove  over  to  Victoria,  three  miles  distant. 
We  found  a  good  hotel,  the  Driard  House,  and  a  gentlemanly 
host,  Louis  Redon.  The  day  was  Sunday,  and  though  old 
ocean  yet  billowed  through  our  brain  and  lifted  our  feet  at 
every  step,  we  decided  to  attend  church. 

On  setting  out  from  the  hotel  we  met  Mr.  Edgar  Marvin, 
who  accompanied  us  to  Christ  church,  where  the  bishop  pre- 
sided over  the  cathedral  service.  Next  day  Mr.  Marvin  in- 
troduced me  to  several  persons  whom  I  wished  to  see ;  and 
throughout  our  entire  stay  in  Victoria  he  was  unceasing  in 
his  kindness.  Mr.  T.  N.  Hibben,  an  old  and  esteemed  friend, 
together  with  his  highly  intelligent  wife,  were  early  and  fre- 
quent in  their  attentions.  Then  there  were  Sir  Matthew  B. 
Begbie,  Dr.  Ash,  the  Honorable  A.  C.  Elliott,  Lady  Douglas, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris,  Governor  and  Mrs.  Richards,  and  a 
host  of  others.  Though  he  did  not  affect  literature,  Sir 
Matthew  was  a  thoroughly  good  fellow,  and  no  one  in  British 
Columbia  exercised  a  more  beneficial  or  a  greater  political 
and  social  influence ;  in  fact,  I  may  as  well  say  at  the  outset 
that  nowhere  have  I  ever  encountered  kinder  appreciation 
or  more  cordial  and  continued  hospitality  than  here.     In- 

282 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  283 

vitations  so  poured  in  upon  us  as  seriously  to  interfere  with 
our  labors,  and  greatly  to  prolong  our  stay.  I  found  it  im- 
possible to  decline  proffers  of  good- will  so  heartily  made; 
and  no  less  interest  was  manifested  in  furthering  the  object 
which  had  taken  me  there  than  in  hospitable  entertainment. 

To  examine  public  archives  and  private  papers,  to  extract 
such  portions  as  were  useful  in  my  work,  to  record  and  carry 
back  with  me  the  experiences  of  those  who  had  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  discovery  and  occupation  of  the  country — 
these,  together  with  a  desire  to  become  historically  inspired 
with  the  spirit  of  settlement  throughout  the  great  northwest, 
constituted  the  burden  of  my  mission. 

Engaging  two  assistants,  I  sat  down  to  work  in  earnest. 
One  of  these  assistants,  Mr.  Thomas  H.  Long,  I  found  a 
valuable  man.  The  other  I  discharged  at  the  end  of  a 
week.  Afterward  I  tried  two  more,  both  of  whom  failed. 
The  province  was  in  the  agonies  of  a  general  election,  ne- 
cessitated by  the  dissolution  of  the  assembly  by  the  governor, 
on  the  ground  that  the  Elliott  government,  as  it  was  called, 
Avas  not  sufficiently  strong  to  carry  out  its  measures.  Un- 
fortunately the  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  men,  whom  of 
all  others  I  wished  historically  to  capture,  were  many  of  them 
politicians.  For  the  greater  part  tough,  shrewd,  clear-headed 
Scotchman,  the  fur  company's  ancient  servants  were  now  the 
wealthy  aristocrats  of  the  province ;  and  although  they  loved 
their  country  well,  and  were  glad  to  give  me  every  item  re- 
specting their  early  adventures,  they  loved  office  also,  and 
would  by  no  means  neglect  self-interest.  But  I  was  persistent. 
I  was  determined  never  to  leave  the  province  until  my  cra- 
vings for  information  should  be  satisfied,  and  to  obtain  the 
necessary  information  at  as  early  a  date  as  possible. 

The  governor  was  absent  fishing,  and  would  not  return  for 
a  week.  Mr.  Elliott,  the  proAdncial  secretary,  was  affable, 
but  exceedingly  occupied  in  the  endeavor  to  rise  again  upon 
his  political  legs.  He  quickly  gave  me  all  printed  govern- 
ment matter,  but  when  it  came  to  an  examination  of  the 
archives  he  manifested  no  particular  haste.    His  deputy,  Mr. 


284  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Thomas  Elwyn^  offered  access  to  everything  in  his  office,  but 
assured  me  that  it  contained  nothing  of  value,  since  all  the 
material  which  could  in  any  wise  throw  Hght  on  history  was 
in  the  house  of  the  governor.  None  of  the  archives  had  been 
removed  to  Ottawa  after  confederation  with  Canada,  as  I 
had  been  informed. 

When  the  governor,  Mr,  Richards,  as  the  people  of  this 
province  called  him,  returned,  I  immediately  waited  upon 
him  and  made  known  my  wishes.  He  was  a  comparative 
stranger,  he  said,  sent  there  from  Canada ;  knew  little  regard- 
ing the  documents  in  the  governor's  office,  and  proposed 
that  a  minute-in-council  be  passed  by  the  provincial  govern- 
ment in  order  to  invest  him  with  the  requisite  authority  to 
open  to  me  the  government  archives.  Addressing  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Elliott  asking  the  passage  of  such  a  measure,  he  put  me 
off  once  more. 

Now  Mr.  Elliott  was  prime  minister,  and  his  associates 
being  absent  he  was  the  government,  and  had  only  to  write 
out  and  enter  the  order  to  make  it  valid.  I  knew  very  well, 
and  so  did  they,  first,  that  the  governor  required  no  such 
order,  and  secondly,  that  Mr.  Elliott  could  write  it  as  easily 
as  talk  about  it. 

After  a  day  or  two  lost  by  these  evasions,  I  determined  to 
bring  the  matter  to  a  crisis.  These  northwestern  magnates 
must  be  awakened  to  a  sense  of  duty ;  they  must  be  induced 
to  give  me  immediate  access  to  the  government  archives  or 
refuse,  and  the  latter  course  I  did  not  believe  they  would 
adopt.  Meeting  Mr.  Elliott  on  the  street  shortly  afterward, 
I  said  to  him  : 

"  The  benighted  republics  of  Central  America  not  only 
throw  open  their  records  to  the  examination  of  the  historian, 
but  appoint  a  commissioner  to  gather  and  abstract  material. 
It  can  hardly  l)c  possible  that  any  English-speaking  govern- 
ment should  throw  obstruction  in  the  way  of  laudable  his- 
torical effort." 

The  minister's  apologies  were  ample,  and  the  order  came 
forth  directly.     But  the  order  did  not  suit  the  governor,  who 


HISTORIC   EXPLORATIONS   NORTHWARD.  285 

returned  it  and  required  in  its  place  another,  differently 
worded ;  and  this  at  last  given  him  he  required  that  his  secre- 
tary, the  Honorable  Mr.  Boyle,  a  most  affable,  but  wholly 
inexperienced,  young  man,  should  alone  have  the  making  of 
the  copies  and  abstracts,  always,  of  course,  at  my  expense. 

Meanwhile  every  spare  moment  was  occupied  in  bringing 
forward  the  ancients  of  this  region,  and  in  obtaining  informa- 
tion from  any  and  all  sources.  There  were  many  good 
writers,  many  who  had  written  essays,  and  even  books.  To 
instance :  Mr.  G.  M.  Sproat,  who  drew  up  for  me  a  skeleton 
of  British  Columbia  history,  according  to  his  conception  of 
it;  Mr.  J.  D.  Pemberton,  formerly  private  secretar}'  of  Sir 
James  Douglas,  and  author  of  a  work  on  British  Columbia, 
who  not  only  brought  me  a  large  package  of  printed  material, 
but  gave  me  some  most  valuable  information  in  writing,  and 
used  his  influence  with  Doctor  Helmcken,  the  eccentric  son- 
in-law  of  Sir  James,  and  executor  of  the  Douglas  estate,  to 
obtain  for  me  the  private  books  and  papers  in  the  possession 
of  the  family.  Dr.  John  Ash  likewise  wrote  for  me  and  gave 
me  material,  as  did  Thomas  Elwyn,  deputy  provincial  secre- 
tary, Arthur  Wellesley  Vowel,  and  Mr.  Elliott.  From  P.  N. 
Compton,  Michael  Muir,  Alexander  Allen,  James  Deans, 
and  others,  I  obtained  dictations.  But  most  valuable  of 
all  were  the  reminiscences,  amounting  in  some  instances 
to  manuscript  volumes,  and  constituting  histories  more  or 
less  complete,  of  New  Caledonia  and  the  great  northwest, 
the  recollections  of  those  who  had  spent  their  lives  within 
this  territory,  who  had  occupied  important  positions  of  honor 
and  trust,  and  were  immediately  identified  not  only  with 
the  occupation  and  settlement  of  the  country  but  with  its 
subsequent  progress.  Among  these  were  A.  C.  Anderson, 
W.  F.  Tolmie,  Roderick  Finlayson,  Archibald  McKLinlay, 
and  others,  men  of  mind,  able  writers  some  of  them,  and 
upon  whose  shoulders,  after  the  records  of  Sir  James  Douglas, 
the  diaries  of  chief  factors,  and  the  government  and  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  archives,  must  rest  the  history  of  British 
Columbia. 


286  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

Jam,es  M.  Douglas,  son  of  Sir  James,  whose  marriage  with 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  ElHott  we  had  the  pleasure  of  attending, 
granted  me  free  and  wilhng  access  to  all  the  family  books 
and  papers.  "  Ah! "  said  everybody,  "  you  should  have  come 
before  Sir  James  died.  He  would  have  rendered  you  assist- 
ance in  value  beyond  computation."  So  it  is  too  often  with 
these  old  men ;  their  experiences  and  the  benefit  thereof  to 
posterity  are  prized  after  they  are  beyond  reach. 

Lady  Douglas  was  yet  alive,  and,  though  a  half-breed, 
was  a  perfect  lady.  Her  daughters  were  charming ;  indeed, 
it  were  next  to  impossible  for  the  wife  and  daughters  of 
Sir  James  Douglas  to  be  other  than  ladies.  Scarcely  so 
much  could  truthfully  be  said  of  the  sons  of  some  other  fur 
magnates. 

The  honorable  Amor  de  Cosmos,  ne  Smith,  the  historic 
genius  of  the  place,  was  absent  attending  the  legislature  in 
Canada.  He  was  one  of  two  brothers  who  conducted  the 
Standard  newspaper,  and  dabbled  in  politics  and  aspired  to 
history- writing.  One  of  these  brothers  was  known  as  plain 
Smith;  the  other  had  had  his  name  changed  by  the  legislature 
of-  California,  It  was  some  time  before  I  could  realize  that 
the  man  thus  playing  a  practical  joke  on  his  own  name  was 
not  a  buffoon. 

Mr.  William  Charles,  at  this  time  director  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  affairs  at  Victoria,  gave  me  much  information, 
and  among  other  things  a  journal  of  the  founders  of  Fort 
Langley  while  journeying  from  Fort  Vancouver  and  estab- 
lishing a  new  fort  on  Fraser  river.  The  record  covered  a 
period  of  three  years,  from  1827  to  1829.  Mr,  Charles  also 
sent  to  Fort  Simpson  for  the  records  of  that  important  post, 
and  forwarded  them  to  me  after  my  return  to  San  Francisco. 

From  George  Hills,  bishop  of  Columbia,  I  obtained  copies 
of  missionary  reports  giving  much  new  knowledge  of  various 
parts.  Mr.  Stanhope  Farwell  of  the  Victoria  land  ofiice 
gave  me  a  fine  collection  of  maps  and  charts  of  that  vicinity. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  John  Robson,  paymaster  of  the 
Canadian  Pacific  railway  survey,  Victoria,  and  William  Buck- 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  287 

ingham  of  the  office  of  the  minister  of  public  works,  Ottawa, 
the  printed  reports  of  the  survey  were  sent  me  from  Canada. 
F.  J.  Roscoe  in  hke  manner  furnished  me  with  the  Canadian 
blue-books,  or  printed  public  documents  of  British  America. 
These,  together  with  the  blue-books  found  in  the  public 
offices  at  Victoria,  and  other  official  and  general  publications, 
boxed  and  shipped  to  San  Francisco  from  that  port,  formed 
extensive  and  important  additions  to  my  library. 

Mrs.  Bancroft  came  as  usual  to  my  assistance,  and  took 
from  one  person,  a  missionary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Good,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  foolscap  pages  descriptive  of  the  people 
and  country  round  the  upper  Fraser.  In  Mr.  Anderson's 
narrative,  which  was  especially  good,  she  took  special  in- 
terest, and  during  our  stay  in  Victoria  she  accomplished  more 
than  any  one  engaged  in  the  work.  Writing  in  her  journal 
of  Mr.  Good,  she  says :  "  His  descriptions  of  scenery  and 
wild  life  are  remarkable  for  vividness  and  beauty  of  expres- 
sion. His  graphic  pictures  so  fascinated  me  that  I  felt  no 
Aveariness  and  was  almost  unconscious  of  eftbrt." 

It  was  like  penetrating  regions  beyond  the  world  for 
descriptions  of  scenes  acted  on  the  other  side  of  reality,  this 
raking  up  the  white-haired  remnants  of  the  once  powerful 
but  now  almost  extinct  organization.  There  was  old  John 
Tod,  tall,  gaunt,  calling  himself  eighty-four,  and  clear-headed 
and  sprightly  at  that,  though  his  friends  insisted  he  was 
nearer  ninety-four.  The  old  fur-factor  lived  about  four 
miles  from  the  city,  and  regularly  every  day,  in  a  cap  with 
huge  ears,  and  driving  a  bony  bay  hitched  to  a  single,  high- 
seated,  spring  wagon,  he  made  his  appearance  at  our  hotel, 
and  said  his  say.  While  speaking  he  must  not  be  questioned; 
he  must  not  be  interrupted.  Sitting  in  an  arm-chair,  leaning 
on  his  cane,  or  walking  up  and  down  the  room,  his  deep-set 
eyes  blazing  with  the  renewed  iire  of  old-time  excitements, 
his  thin  hair  standing  in  electric  attention,  he  recited  with 
rapidity  midst  furious  gesticulations  story  after  story,  one 
scene  caUing  up  another,  until  his  present  was  wet  with  the 
sweat  of  the  past. 


288  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Archibald  McKinlay  was  another,  a  really  brave  and  esti- 
niable  character,  and  a  man  who  had  filled  with  honor  to 
himself  and  profit  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  many 
responsible  positions,  but,  while  younger  than  Mr,  Tod,  he 
was  not  possessed  of  so  unclouded  a  memory  or  so  facile  a 
tongue.  He  knew  enough,  but  could  not  tell  it.  "  If  it's 
statistical  ye  want  I'll  give  'em  to  ye,"  he  would  bring  out 
every  few  minutes,  "  but  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  person- 
alities." When  I  hinted  to  him  that  history  was  made  by 
persons  and  not  by  statistics,  he  retorted  :  "Well,  I'll  write 
something  for  ye."  He  had  much  to  say  of  Peter  Skeen 
Ogden,  whose  half-breed  daughter  he  had  married.  The  first 
evening  after  our  arrival  he  brought  his  wife  to  see  us,  and 
seemed  very  proud  of  her.  He  was  really  anxious  to  com- 
municate his  experiences,  coming  day  after  day  to  do  so, 
but  failing  from  sheer  lack  of  tongue.  He  once  interrupted 
Mr.  Tod,  disputing  some  date,  and  the  old  gentleman  never 
forgave  him.  Never  after  that,  while  McKinlay  was  in  the 
room,  would  Mr.  Tod  open  his  mouth. 

Doctor  W.  F.  Tolniie,  who  had  been  manager  of  the  Puget 
Sound  Agricultural  Company,  and  subsequently  chief  factor  at 
Victoria,  was  of  medium  height,  but  so  stoutly  built  as  to 
seem  short,  with  a  large  bald  head,  broad  face  and  features, 
florid  complexion,  and  small  blue  eyes,  which,  through  their 
corners  and  apparently  without  seeing  anything,  took  in  all 
the  world.  He  had  been  well  educated  in  Europe,  was 
clever,  cunning,  and  withal  exceedingly  Scotch.  Tolmie 
knew  much,  and  could  tell  it;  indeed,  he  would  tell 
much,  but  only  what  he  pleased.  Nevertheless  I  found 
him  one  of  my  most  profitable  teachers  in  the  doings  of 
the  past;  and  when  I  left  Victoria  he  intrusted  me  with  his 
journal  kept  while  descending  the  Columbia  river  in  1833 
and  for  four  years  thereafter,  which  he  prized  very  highly. 

Roderick  Finlayson,  mayor  of  Victoria,  and  founder  of  the 
fort  there,  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  the  old-school 
Scotch  gentleman.  Upon  a  fine  figure  was  well  set  a  fine 
head,  slightly  bald,  with  grayish-white  hair  curled  in  tight, 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS   NORTHWARD.  289 

short  ringlets  round  and  behind  a  most  pleasing,  benignant 
face.  His  beard  was  short  and  thick,  in  color  brown  and 
gray,  well  mixed.  He  tasted  temperately  of  the  champagne 
I  placed  before  him,  while  Tolmie,  who  was  totally  abstinent 
for  example's  sake  in  the  presence  of  his  boys,  prescribed 
himself  doses  of  brandy.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Good,  I  think, 
enjoyed  the  brandy  and  cigars  which  were  freely  placed  at  his 
command  fully  as  much  as  constructing  elegant  sentences. 
Preferring  to  write  rather  than  to  dictate,  Mr.  Finlayson  gave 
me  from  his  own  pen  in  graphic  detail  many  of  the  most 
stirring  incidents  in  the  history  of  British  Columbia. 

But  more  than  to  any  other  in  Victoria,  I  feel  myself 
indebted  to  Mr.  A.  C.  Anderson,  a  man  not  only  of  fine 
education,  but  of  marked  literary  ability.  Of  poetic  tempera- 
ment, chivalrous  in  thought,  of  acute  observation  and  retentive 
memory,  he  proved  to  be  the  chief  and  standard  authority  on 
all  matters  relating  to  the  country.  He  had  published  several 
works  of  value  and  interest,  and  was  universally  regarded  as  the 
most  valuable  living  witness  of  the  past.  Tall,  symmetrical, 
and  very  erect,  with  a  long,  narrow  face,  ample  forehead,  well 
brushed  white  hair,  side-whiskers,  and  keen,  light-blue  eyes, 
he  looked  the  scholar  he  was.  Scarcely  allowing  himself  an 
interruption,  he  devoted  nearly  two  weeks  to  my  work  with 
such  warm  cheerfulness  and  gentlemanly  courtesy  as  to  win 
our  hearts.  Besides  this,  he  brought  me  much  valuable 
material  in  the  form  of  record-books  and  letters. 

I  could  write  a  volume  on  what  I  saw  and  did  during  this 
visit  of  about  a  month  at  Victoria,  but  I  must  hasten  forward. 
After  a  dinner  at  Sir  Matthew's;  a  grand  entertainment  at 
Mr.  Marvin's ;  several  visits  from  and  to  Lady  Douglas,  Mrs. 
Harris,  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Ash,  and  many  other  charming  calls 
and  parties,  and  a  hundred  promises,  not  one  in  ten  of  which 
was  kept;  leaving  Mr.  Long  to  finish  copying  the  Douglas 
papers,  the  Fraser  papers,  the  Work  journals,  and  the  man- 
uscripts furnished  by  Anderson,  Finlayson,  Tod,  Spence, 
Vowel,  and  others ;  after  a  voyage  to  New  Westminster,  and 
after  lending  our  a'^sistance  in  celebrating  the  Queen's  birth- 
19 


290  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

day,  on  the  last  day  of  IMay  we  crossed  to  Port  Townsend, 
having  completed  one  of  the  hardest  months  of  recreation  I 
ever  experienced.  But  long  before  this  I  had  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  while  this  work  lasted  there  was  no  rest  for  me. 
At  every  move  a  new  field  opened.  At  Port  Townsend, 
which  in  its  literary  perspective  presented  an  aspect  so  for- 
bidding that  I  threatened  to  pass  it  by  without  stopping,  I 
was  favored  with  the  most  fortunate  results.  Judge  James 
G.  Swan,  ethnologist,  artist,  author  of  Three  Years  at  Shoal- 
water  Bay,  and  divers  Smithsonian  monographs  and  news- 
paper articles,  was  there  ready  to  render  me  every  assistance, 
which  he  did  by  transferring  to  me  his  collection,  the  result 
of  thirty  years'  labor  in  that  direction,  and  supplementing 
his  former  writing  by  other  and  unwritten  experiences.  Ma- 
jor J.  J.  H.  Van  Bokkelen  was  there,  and  after  giving  me  his 
dictation,  presented  to  Mrs.  Bancroft  a  valuable  collection  of 
Indian  relics,  which  he  had  been  waiting  twenty  years,  as  he 
said,  to  place  in  the  hands  of  some  one  who  would  appreci- 
ate them.  There  we  saw  Mr.  Pettigrove,  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  Portland ;  Mr.  Plummer,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  at 
Port  Townsend ;  W.  G.  Spencer,  N.  D.  Hill,  John  L.  Butler, 
Henry  A.  Webster,  and  L.  H.  Briggs,  from  all  of  whom  I 
obtained  additions  to  my  historical  stores.  Dr.  Thomas  T. 
Minor  entertained  us  handsomely,  and  showed  me  through 
his  hospital,  which  was  a  model  of  neatness  and  comfort. 
He  obtained  from  Samuel  Hancock  of  Coupeville,  Whidbey 
island,  a  voluminous  manuscript,  which  was  then  at  the  east 
seeking  a  publisher.  James  S.  Lawson,  captain  of  the  United 
States  coast  survey  vessel  Fauntlcroy,  took  us  on  board  his 
ship  and  promised  to  write  for  me  a  history  of  western  coast 
survey,  the  fulfilment  of  which  reached  me  some  six  months 
after  in  the  form  of  a  very  complete  and  valuable  manuscript. 
Here,  likewise,  I  encountered  Amos  Bowman,  of  Anacortes, 
Fidalgo  island,  whom  I  engaged  to  accompany  me  to  Ore- 
gon an  A  take  dictations  in  short-hand.  He  remained  with 
me  until  my  northern  work  as  far  south  as  Salem  was  done, 
when  he  proceeded  to  San  Francisco  and  took  his  place  for 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  29 1 

a  time  in  the  library.     He  was  a  good  stenographer,  but  not 
successful  at  literary  work. 

After  a  visit  to  Fort  Townsend,  upon  the  invitation  of 
William  Gouverneur  Morris,  United  States  revenue  agent, 
continued  our  way  to  Seattle,  the  commercial  metropolis  of 
the  territory.  Three  thousand  lethargic  souls  at  this  date 
comprised  the  town,  with  a  territorial  university  and  an 
eastern  railroad  as  aspirations.  There  we  met  Yesler,  saw- 
mill owner  and  old  man  of  the  town;  and  Horton,  who 
drove  us  through  the  forest  to  the  lake ;  and  Mercer,  Lans- 
dale,  Arthur  Denny,  Booth,  Hill,  Spencer,  and  Haller,  from 
each  of  whom  we  obtained  valuable  information.  Mrs.  Abby 
J.  Hanford  subsequently  sent  me  an  interesting  paper  on 
early  times  at  Seattle.  There  also  I  met  the  pioneer  express- 
man of  both  California  and  British  Columbia,  Billy  Ballou, 
a  rare  adventurer,  and  in  his  way  a  genius,  since  dead. 

The  North  Pacific,  a  neat  littie  steamboat,  had  carried  us 
across  from  Victoria  to  Port  Townsend,  where  the  Dakota 
picked  us  up  for  Seattle ;  thence,  after  two  days'  sojourn,  we 
embarked  for  Olympia  on  board  the  Messenger,  Captain 
Parker,  an  early  boatman  on  these  waters.  When  fairly  afloat 
I  took  my  stenographer  to  the  wheel-house,  and  soon  were 
spread  upon  paper  the  striking  scenes  in  the  life  of  Captain 
Parker,  who,  as  our  little  craft  shot  through  the  glassy  forest- 
fringed  inlet,  recited  his  history  in  a  clear  intelligent  manner, 
together  Avith  many  points  of  interest  descriptive  of  our 
charming  surroundings. 

On  board  the  Messenger  was  Captain  Ellicott  of  the  United 
States  coast  survey,  who  invited  us  to  land  at  his  camp,  some 
ten  miles  before  reaching  Olympia,  and  spend  the  night,  which 
we  did,  touching  first  at  Tacoma  and  Steilacoom.  After  an 
excellent  dinner,  Bowman  wrote  from  the  captain's  notes 
until  eleven  o'clock,  when  we  retired,  and  after  an  early 
breakfast  next  morning  the  captain's  steam  yacht  conveyed 
us  to  the  capital  of  the  territory. 


292  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Immediately  upon  our  arrival  at  Olympia  we  were  waited 
upon  by  the  governor  and  Mrs.  Ferry,  Elwood  Evans,  his- 
torian of  this  section,  Mrs.  Evans,  and  others  among  the 
chief  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  place.  Mr.  Evans  devoted 
two  days  to  me,  drew  forth  from  many  a  nook  and  corner 
the  musty  records  of  the  past,  and  placed  the  whole  of  his 
material  at  my  disposal. 

"  I  had  hoped,"  said  he,  "  to  do  this  work  myself,  but  your 
advantages  are  so  superior  to  mine  that  I  cheerfully  yield. 
I  only  wish  to  see  the  information  I  have  gathered  during  the 
last  thirty  years  properly  used,  and  in  your  hands  I  know 
that  will  be  done." 

And  so  the  soul  of  this  man's  ambition,  in  the  form  of  two 
large  cases  of  invaluable  written  and  printed  matter  on  the 
Northwest  Coast,  was  shipped  down  to  my  library,  of  which 
it  now  constitutes  an  important  part.  To  call  such  an  act 
generous  is  faint  praise.  Then,  as  well  as  before  and  after, 
his  warm  encouraging  words,  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to 
me  and  my  work,  won  my  lasting  gratitude  and  affection. 

At  Portland  we  found  ready  to  assist  us,  by  every  means 
in  their  power,  many  warm  friends,  among  whom  were  S.  F. 
Chadwick,  then  governor  of  Oregon ;  Matthew  P.  Deady,  of 
the  United  States  judiciary  ;  William  Strong,  one  of  the  first 
appointees  of  the  federal  government,  after  the  treaty,  as 
judge  of  the  supreme  court ;  Mrs.  Abernethy,  widow  of  the 
first  provisional  governor  of  Oregon,  and  Mrs.  Harvey, 
daughter  of  Doctor  McLoughlin,  and  formerly  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Glenn  Rae,  who  had  charge  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
company's  affairs,  first  at  Stikeen  and  afterward  at  Verba 
Buena.  Colonel  Sladen,  aide-de-camp  to  General  Howard, 
who  was  absent  fighting  Indians,  not  only  threw  open  to  me 
the  archives  of  the  military  dci)artment,  but  directed  his 
clerks  to  make  such  abstracts  from  them  as  I  should  require. 
Elisha  White,  the  first  Indian  and  government  agent  in 
Oregon,  I  learned  was  in  San  Francisco.  On  my  return  I 
immediately  sought  him  out,  and  had  many  long  and  profit- 
able interviews  with    him.      I   should  not  fail  to  mention 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD,  293 

Governor  Gibbs,  General  Hamilton,  Stephen  Coffin,  Mrs.  J. 
H.  Couch,  Mr.  McCraken,  H.  Clay  Wood,  Mr.  Corbett, 
George  H.  Atkinson,  Simeon  Reed,  W.  Lair  Hill,  and  H. 
W.  Scott  of  the  Oregonian.  R.  P.  Earhart  kindly  supplied 
me  with  a  set  of  the  Oregon  grand  lodge  proceedings.  In 
company  with  Dr.  J.  C.  Hawthorne  we  visited  his  insane 
asylum,  a  model  of  neatness  and  order.  General  Joseph 
Lane,  hero  of  the  Mexican  war  and  many  northern  Indian 
battles,  first  territorial  governor  of  Oregon,  and  first  delegate 
from  the  territory  to  Congress,  I  met  first  at  Portland  and  took 
a  dictation  from  him  in  the  parlor  of  the  Clarendon  hotel,  at 
which  we  were  staying,  and  subsequently  obtained  further 
detail  at  his  home  at  Roseburg.  J.  N.  Dolph  wrote  Mr. 
Gray,  the  historian,  who  lived  at  Astoria,  to  come  to  Portland 
to  see  me,  but  he  was  not  at  home,  and  my  business  with  him 
had  to  be  done  by  letter.  Mrs.  F.  F.  Victor,  whose  writings 
on  Oregon  were  by  far  the  best  extant,  and  whom  I  wished 
much  to  see,  was  absent  on  the  southern  coast  gathering  in- 
formation for  the  revision  of  her  Oregofi  and  Washington. 
On  my  return  to  San  Francisco  I  wrote  offering  her  an  en- 
gagement in  my  library,  which  she  accepted,  and  for  years 
proved  one  of  my  most  faithful  and  efficient  assistants. 
Father  Blanchet  was  shy  and  suspicious :  I  was  not  of  his 
fold ;  but  as  his  wide  range  of  experiences  was  already  in  print 
it  made  little  difference. 

We  had  been  but  a  few  hours  in  this  beautiful  and  hospi- 
table city  when  we  were  informed  that  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Oregon  pioneers'  association  was  to  open  immediately 
in  Salem.  Dropping  our  work  at  Portland,  to  be  resumed 
later,  we  proceeded  at  once  to  the  capital,  and  entered  upon 
the  most  profitable  five  days'  labor  of  the  entire  trip ;  for  there 
we  found  congregated  from  the  remotest  comers  of  the  state  the 
very  men  and  women  we  most  wished  to  see,  those  who  had 
entered  that  region  when  it  was  a  wilderness,  and  had  con- 
tributed the  most  important  share  toward  making  the  society 
and  government  what  it  was.  Thus  six  months  of  ordinary 
travel  and  research  were  compressed  within  these  five  days. 


294  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

I  had  not  yet  registered  at  the  Chemeketa  hotel  in  Salem 
when  J.  Henry  Brown,  secretary  of  the  pioneers'  association, 
presented  himself,  at  the  instance  of  Governor  Chadwick, 
and  offered  his  services.  He  was  a  fair  type  of  the  average 
Oregonian,  a  printer  by  trade,  and  poor,  as  is  apt  to  be  the 
case  with  printers.  I  found  him  a  diamond  in  the  rough,  and 
to-day  there  is  no  man  in  Oregon  I  more  highly  esteem.  He 
knew  everybody,  introduced  me  and  my  mission  to  every- 
body, drummed  the  town,  and  made  appointments  faster 
than  I  could  keep  them.  He  secured  for  me  all  printed 
matter  which  I  lacked.  He  took  me  to  the  state  archives, 
and  promised  to  make  a  transcript  of  them.  I  paid  him  a 
sum  of  money,  for  Avhich  he  afterward  did  more  than  he  had 
bargained. 

It  was  a  hot  and  dusty  time  we  had  of  it,  but  we  worked 
with  a  will,  day  and  night;  and  the  notes  there  taken,  under 
the  trees  and  in  the  buildings  about  the  fair- grounds,  at  the 
hotel,  and  in  private  parlors  and  ofifices,.  made  a  huge  pile  of 
historic  lore  when  written  out  as  it  was  on  our  return  to 
San  Francisco.  There  was  old  Daniel  Waldo,  who,  though 
brought  by  infirmity  to  time's  border,  still  stoudy  stumped  his 
porch  and  swore  roundly  at  everything  and  everybody  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  There  was  the  mild  missionary 
Parrish,  who  in  bringing  the  poor  Indian  the  white  man's  reli- 
gion and  civilization,  strove  earnestly  but  fruitlessly  to  save 
him  from  the  curses  of  civilization  and  religion.  There  was 
John  Minto,  eloquent  as  a  speaker  and  writer,  with  a  wife  but 
litde  his  inferior :  the  women,  indeed,  spoke  as  freely  as  the  men 
when  gathered  round  tlie  camp  fires  of  the  Oregon  pioneers' 
association.  For  example :  Mrs.  Minto  had  to  tell  how 
women  lived,  and  labored,  and  suffered,  and  died,  in  the  early 
days  of  Oregon ;  how  they  clothed  and  housed  themselves, 
or,  rather,  how  they  almost  dispensed  with  houses  and  clothes 
during  the  first  wet  winters  of  their  sojourn;  how  an  admir- 
ing young  shoemaker  had  measured  the  impress  of  her 
maiden  feet  in  the  mud,  and  sent  her  as  a  present  her  first 
Oregon  shoes.     Mrs.  Samuel  A.  Clarke  took  a  merry  view 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD,  295 

of  things,  and  called  crossing  the  plains  in  1851  a  grand  pic- 
nic. J.  Quinn  Thornton,  with  his  long  grizzly  hair  and  oily 
tongue,  was  there,  still  declaiming  against  Jesse  Applegate  for 
leading  him  into  Oregon  by  the  then  untried  southern  route 
thirty  years  before.  Judge  Thornton  rendered  important 
service  by  transferring  to  me  valuable  material  collected  by 
him  for  literary  purposes,  for  he  too  had  affected  history,  but 
was  now  becoming  somewhat  infirm.  David  Newsome 
knew  something,  he  said,  but  would  tell  it  only  for  money. 
I  assured  David  that  the  country  would  survive  his  silence. 
Mr.  Clarke,  with  his  amiable  and  hospitable  wife  and 
daughters,  spared  no  pains  to  make  our  visit  pleasing  as  well 
as  profitable.  Senator  Grover  was  in  Washington,  but  I 
caught  him  afterward  in  San  Francisco  as  he  was  passing 
through,  and  obtained  from  him  a  lengthy  and  valuable  dic- 
tation. General  Joel  Palmer  told  me  all  he  could  remember, 
but  his  memory  was  evidently  failing.  James  W.  Nesmith 
related  to  me  several  anecdotes,  and  afterward  sent  me  a 
manuscript  of  his  own  writing.  The  contribution  of  Medorem 
Crawford  was  important.  Among  the  two  or  three  hundred 
prominent  Oregonians  I  met  at  Salem  I  can  only  mention 
further  Richard  H.  Ekin,  Horace  Holden,  Joseph  Holman, 
W.  J.  Herren,  and  H.  H.  Gilfry,  of  Salem;  W.  H.  Rees, 
Butteville;  B.  S.  Clark,  Champoeg;  William  L.  Adams, 
Hood  River ;  B.  S.  Wilson,  Corvallis  ;  Joseph  Watts,  Amity ; 
George  B.  Roberts,  Cathlamet;  R.  C.  Gear,  Silverton; 
Thomas  Congdon,  Eugene  City ;  B.  S.  Strahan  and  Thomas 
Monteith,  Albany ;  and  Shamus  Carnelius,  Lafayette.  Philip 
Ritz  of  Walla  Walla  gave  me  liis  dictation  in  San  Francisco. 
On  our  way  back  to  Portland  we  stopped  at  Oregon  City, 
the  oldest  town  in  the  state,  where  I  met  and  obtained  re- 
citals from  S.  W.  Moss,  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  and  John  M.  Bacon, 
and  arranged  with  W.  H.  H.  Fouts  to  copy  the  archives.  I 
cannot  fail,  before  leaving  Portland,  specially  to  mention  the 
remarkable  dictations  given  me  by  Judge  Deady  and  Judge 
Strong,  each  of  which,  with  the  author's  writings  already 
in  print,  constitutes  a  history  of  Oregon  in  itself.     Indeed, 


296  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

each  of  these  gentlemen  had  intended  to  write  a  history  of 
Oregon. 

After  a  flying  visit  to  the  Dalles,  overland  by  rail  from 
Portland  to  San  Francisco  was  next  in  order,  with  private 
conveyance  over  the  Siskiyou  mountains.  It  was  a  trip  I 
had  long  wished  to  make,  and  we  enjoyed  every  hour  of  it. 
I  have  not  space  for  details.  We  stopped  at  many  places, 
saw  many  men,  and  gathered  much  new  material.  At  Drain 
we  remained  one  day  to  see  Jesse  Applegate,  and  he  spent 
the  entire  time  with  us.  He  was  a  remarkable  person,  in 
some  respects  the  foremost  man  in  Oregon  during  a  period 
of  twenty  years.  In  him  Avere  united  the  practical  and  the 
intellectual  in  an  eminent  degree.  He  could  explore  new 
regions,  lay  out  a  farm,  and  write  essays  with  equal  facility. 
He  was  pohtical  economist,  mechanic,  or  historian,  according 
to  requirement.  His  fatal  mistake,  like  that  of  many  another 
warm-hearted  and  chivalrous  man,  was,  as  he  expressed  it,  in 
"  signing  his  name  once  too  often."  But  though  the  payment 
of  the  defaulter's  bond  sent  him  in  poverty  into  the  hills  of 
Yoncalla,  he  was  not  dispirited.  At  seventy,  with  his  active 
and  intellectual  life,  so  lately  full  of  flattering  probabilities,  a 
financial  failure,  his  eye  was  as  bright,  his  laugh  as  unaffected 
and  merry,  his  form  as  erect  and  graceful,  his  step  as  elastic, 
his  conversation  as  brilliant,  his  realizing  sense  of  nature  and 
humanity  as  keen,  as  at  forty.  Never  shall  I  forget  that  day, 
nor  the  friendship  that  grew  out  of  it. 

The  veteran  Joseph  Lane  I  found  somewhat  more  diflicult 
of  management  in  his  home  at  Roseburg  than  at  Portland. 
Congressional  honors  were  on  his  brain.  Nevertheless,  in 
due  time,  I  obtained  from  him  all  I  required. 

I  must  conclude  this  narrative  of  my  northern  journey  with 
the  barest  mention  of  a  few  out  of  the  hundreds  I  met  on  my 
way  who  took  an  active  interest  in  the  history  of  their  native 
or  adopted  land : 

P.  P.  Prim,  L.  J.  C.  Duncan,  J.  M.  McCall,  Lindsay 
Applegate,  J.  M.  Sutton,  Daniel  Gaby,  William  Bybee, 
David  Lin,  and  James  A.  Cardwell,  whom  I  met  at  Jackson- 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  297 

ville;  Anthony  M.  Sleeper,  Joseph  Rice,  D.  Ream,  A.  P. 
McCarton,  Thomas  A.  Bantz,  A.  E.  Raynes,  F.  G.  Hearn, 
ofYreka;  C.  W.  Taylor  and  Charles  McDonald,  of  Shasta; 
Henry  F.  Johnson  and  Chauncey  C.  Bush,  of  Reading, 
important  names  in  the  local  history  of  their  respective  places. 
Mrs.  Laura  Morton  of  the  state  hbrary,  Sacramento,  very  kindly 
copied  for  me  the  diary  of  her  father,  Phihp  L.  Edwards. 

The  7  th  of  July  saw  me  again  at  my  table  at  Oak  ville.  It 
was  during  the  years  immediately  succeeding  the  return  from 
my  expedition  to  the  north  that  I  wrote  the  Histoy  of  the 
Northwest  Coast  and  the  History  of  British  Columbia  ;  Oregon 
and  Alaska  came  later. 

In  reviewing  this  journey,  I  would  remark  that  I  found  at 
the  headquarters  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  Victoria 
rooms  full  of  old  accounts,  books,  and  letters,  and  boxes  and 
bins  of  papers  relating  to  the  business  of  the  company,  and 
of  its  several  posts.  The  company's  Oregon  archives  were 
lodged  here,  and  also  those  from  the  Hawaiian  islands  and 
the  abandoned  posts  of  New  Caledonia. 

The  office  of  the  provincial  secretary  contained  at  this  time 
books  and  papers  relative  to  the  local  affairs  of  the  govern- 
ment, but  I  found  in  them  little  of  historical  importance. 
At  the  government  house,  in  the  office  of  the  governor's  pri- 
vate secretary,  was  richer  material,  in  the  shape  of  despatches 
between  the  governors  of  British  Columbia  and  Vancouver 
island  and  the  secretary  of  state  for  the  colonies  in  London 
with  the  governor-general  of  Canada.  There  were  likewise 
correspondence  of  various  kinds,  despatches  of  the  minister 
at  Washington  in  1856-70,  papers  relative  to  the  San  Juan 
difficulty,  the  naval  authorities  at  Esquimalt,  1859-71,  letters 
from  Admiral  Moresby  to  Governor  Blanchard,  and  many 
miscellaneous  records  and  papers  important  to  the  historian. 

Oregon's  most  precious  material  for  history  I  found  in  the 
heads  of  her  hardy  pioneers.  The  office  of  the  adjutant- 
general  of  the  department  of  the  Columbia  contained  record- 
books  and  papers  relative  to  the  affairs  of  the  department 


298  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

which  throw  much  hght  on  the  settlement  and  occupation 
of  the  country.  There  were  letters-sent-books  and  letters- 
received-books  since  1858,  containing  instructions  and  advices 
as  to  the  establishment  of  posts  and  the  protection  of  the 
people.  The  public  library,  Portland,  contained  nothing 
worthy  of  special  mention. 

There  was  once  much  valuable  material  for  history  in  the 
Oregon  state  library  at  Salem,  but  in  1856  a  fire  swept  it 
away.  The  legislature  passed  a  law  requiring  a  copy  of 
every  newspaper  published  in  the  state  to  be  sent  to  the  state 
library,  but  the  lawyers  cut  into  them  so  badly  for  anything 
they  desired  that  finally  the  librarian  sold  them  to  Chinamen 
for  wrapping-paper  —  a  shiftless  and  short-sighted  policy,  I 
should  say.  It  had  been  the  intention  of  the  state  to  preserve 
them,  but  as  no  money  was  appropriated  for  binding,  they 
were  scattered  and  destroyed.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  in 
1878  there  was  little  in  the  state  library  except  government 
documents  and  law-books. 

In  the  rooms  of  the  governor  of  Oregon  were  the  papers 
of  the  provisional  government  and  such  others  as  naturally 
accumulate  in  an  executive  office.  When  I  saw  them  they 
were  in  glorious  disorder,  having  been  thrown  loose  into 
boxes  without  respect  to  kind  or  quality.  Engaging  Mr.  J. 
Henry  Brown  to  make  copies  and  abstracts  of  them,  I  stipu- 
lated that,  for  the  benefit  of  the  state,  he  should  leave  them 
properly  classified  and  chronologically  arranged.  Mr.  Brown 
had  made  a  collection  of  matter  with  a  view  of  writing  a 
statistical  work  on  Oregon,  and  possessed  a  narrative  of  an  ex- 
pedition under  Joseph  L.  Meek,  sent  by  the  provisional  gov- 
ernment to  Washington  for  assistance  during  the  Indian  war. 
He  also  had  a  file  of  the  Oregonian.  A.  Bush  possessed  a 
file  of  the  Oregon  Statesman.  From  Mrs.  Abernethy  I 
obtained  a  file  of  the  Oregon  Spectator,  the  first  newspaper 
published  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Nesmith  had  a  filcof  the  journal 
last  mentioned,  besides  boxes  of  letters  and  papers. 

The  first  printing-press  ever  brought  to  Oregon  was  sent 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands  by  the  American  board  of  commis- 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  299 

sioners  for  foreign  missions,  and  was  used  there  for  printing 
books  in  the  Hawaiian  language ;  then,  at  the  request  of 
doctors  Whitman  and  Spaulding,  it  was  transferred  to  Oregon, 
to  the  Nez  Perce  mission  on  the  Clearwater,  now  called  the 
Lapwai  agency.  This  was  in  1838.  The  press  was  used 
for  some  time  to  print  books  in  the  Nez  Perce  and  Walla 
Walla  languages,  and  at  the  time  of  my  visit  it  stood  in  the  state 
house  at  Salem,  a  rare  and  curious  relic,  where  also  might  be 
seen  specimens  of  its  work  under  the  titles :  Nez  Perch  First 
Book;  designed  for  children  and  new  beginners.  Clear 
Water,  Mission  Press,  iSjg.  The  latter  was  prepared  in  the 
Nez  Perce  language,  by  the  Rev.  H.  H,  Spaulding.  Mat- 
theivjiim  Taaiskt.  Printed  at  the  press  of  the  Oregon  Mission 
under  the  direction  of  The  American  Board,  C.  F.  Missions. 
Clear  Water :  M.  G.  Foisy,  Printer — being  the  gospel  of  Mat- 
thew, translated  by  H.  H.  Spaulding,  and  printed  on  eighty 
pages,  small  4to,  double  columns.  Another  title-page  was 
Talapusapaiain  Wanipt  Tinias.  Paul  wah  sailas  Jmoan- 
pshina  Godnim  wataskitph.  Luk.  Kauo  tvanpith  Lordiph 
tininaki.  Paul.  Lapwai :  1842 — which  belonged  to  a  book 
of  hymns  prepared  by  Mr.  Spaulding  in  the  Nez  Perce  lan- 
guage. 

Before  setting  out  on  my  northern  journey  I  had  arranged 
with  Mr.  Petroff,  a  member  of  the  library  staff,  to  visit  Alaska, 
and  continue  the  northward  line  of  search  where  my  investi- 
gations should  leave  it,  thus  joining  the  great  northwest  to 
southern  explorations  already  effected. 

I  applied  through  Senator  Sargent  to  the  government 
authorities  in  W^ashington  for  passage  for  Mr.  Petroff  on 
board  any  revenue-cutter  cruising  in  Alaskan  waters.  The 
request  was  granted. 

Mr.  Petroff  embarked  at  San  Francisco  on  board  the 
Richard  Rush,  Captain  Bailey,  the  loth  of  July,  1878,  touched 
at  Port  Townsend  the  i6th,  at  Nanaimo  for  coal  on  the  17th, 
and  anchored  that  night  in  the  Seymour  Narrows,  in  the 
gulf  of  Georgia.     Late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  i8th  Fort 


300  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Rupert  was  reached,  where  Mr.  Petroff  met  Mr.  Hunt,  in 
charge  of  the  station,  who  had  resided  there  since  1849 ;  Mr. 
Hall,  a  missionary,  was  also  settled  there.  After  sailing  from 
Fort  Rupert  in  the  early  morning  and  crossing  Queen  Char- 
lotte sound,  anchorage  was  made  that  evening  in  Safety  cove, 
Fitzhugh  sound.  Passing  Eellabella,  another  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  company's  stations,  the  cutter  continued  its  course  until 
it  reached  Holmes  bay,  on  McKay  reach.  On  Sunday,  the 
2 1  St,  the  course  lay  through  Grenville  channel  to  Lowe  inlet, 
and  the  following  day  was  reached  Aberdeen,  Cardena  bay, 
where  an  extensive  salmon  cannery  was  situated. 

The  first  archives  to  be  examined  were  at  Fort  Simpson. 
There  Petroff  met  Mr.  McKay,  agent  of  the  fur  company, 
who  placed  at  his  command  the  daily  journals  of  the  post 
dating  back  to  1833.  Over  these  papers  Petroff  worked 
assiduously  from  nightfall  till  half-past  one,  in  the  quaint  old 
office  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  company,  with  its  remnants  of 
home-made  carpets  and  furniture.  Only  eight  volumes  were 
examined  during  his  limited  stay ;  but  subsequently  I  had 
the  good  fortune  to  obtain  the  loan  of  the  whole  collection 
for  examination  at  my  library  in  San  Francisco.  In  inky 
darkness  Petroff  then  made  his  way  out  of  the  stockade  of 
the  fort  through  a  wilderness  of  rocks  and  rows  of  upturned 
canoes,  until  he  reached  the  cutter.  Mr.  McKay  had  taken 
passage  for  Fort  Wrangel,  and  during  the  trip  furnished  a 
valuable  dictation.  The  fort  was  reached  on  the  evening  of 
the  23d.  Upon  arriving  at  Fort  Sitka,  on  the  morning  of  July 
26th,  Petroff  immediately  began  to  work  upon  the  church 
and  missionary  archives  furnished  by  Father  Mitropolski,  and 
spent  the  evening  obtaining  information  from  old  residents 
and  missionaries  ;  among  the  latter,  Miss  Kellogg,  Miss 
Cohen,  and  Mr.  Bredy  had  interesting  experiences  to  relate. 
Collector  Ball  and  his  deputy  were  most  attentive.  July  28th 
the  cutter  steamed  away  for  Kadiak,  which  was  reached  two 
days  later.  The  agents  of  the  Alaska  commercial  company, 
and  of  Falkner,  Bell,  and  company,  Messrs.  Mclntyre  and 
Hirsch,  came  on  board  the  steamer,  and  were  very  commu- 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS   NORTHWARD.  301 

nicative.  Mr.  Mclntyre  lent  Petrofif  the  company's  journals, 
which  were  thoroughly  examined.  Among  those  who  fur- 
nished personal  data  from  long  residence  in  this  country 
were  Mr.  Stafeifk,  Mr.  Zakharof,  and  Father  Kasherarof. 
Others,  recently  arrived  from  Cook  inlet,  also  gave  consider- 
able information.  Mr.  Pavlof,  son  of  the  former  Russian 
governor,  and  manager  at  this  time  of  the  American  and 
Russian  Ice  company,  had  much  important  knowledge 
to  impart. 

Mr.  Mclntyre  also  presented  Petrofif  with  a  mummy,  which 
was  sent  to  the  Bancroft  library  and  placed  in  a  glass  case. 
It  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Mclntyre  from  Nutchuk  island,  from 
a  cave  on  the  side  of  a  steep  mountain  very  difficult  of  access. 
The  body  is  well  preserved,  with  a  finely  formed  head,  bear- 
ing little  resemblance  either  to  Aleut  or  Kalosh.  The  hair 
is  smooth  and  black ;  it  has  the  scanty  mustache  and  goatee, 
sometimes  noticeable  among  Aleuts.  The  nose  has  lost  its 
original  shape.  Brown  and  well  dried,  with  chin  resting  on 
the  raised  knees,  this  strange  relic  has  a  curious  appearance 
as  it  surveys  its  new  surroundings.  This  much  of  its  history 
is  furnished  by  the  natives :  Long  ago,  before  the  Russians 
had  visited  these  lands,  there  had  been  war  between  the 
Nutchuk  people  and  the  Medonopky,  Copper  River  people, 
who  were  called  Ssootchetnee.  The  latter  were  victorious, 
and  carried  home  the  women,  slaying  the  men  and  boys. 
The  conquered  Nutchuks  waited  for  many  years  their  turn 
to  avenge  themselves.  One  day,  while  some  of  the  Ssoo- 
tchetnees  were  hunting  sea-otter  along  the  shore,  several 
bidarkas  from  Nutchuk  approached,  and  in  the  attack  which 
followed  captured  the  hunters.  Guided  by  a  smoke  column, 
they  went  on  shore  and  discovered  a  woman  cooking.  She 
was  one  of  the  Nutchuk  captives,  who  had  been  taken  from 
their  island,  and  was  now  wife  and  mother  to  some  of  the 
men  just  secured.  Her  father  had  been  a  great  chief,  but  was 
dead;  and  when  she  was  returned  a  prisoner  to  her  native  land 
the  chief  of  the  island  refused  to  reco2;nize  her  because  of  her 


302  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

relations  with  the  Ssootchetnees.  Cruelly  he  drove  her  from 
him,  telling  her  to  go  to  a  cave  in  the  side  of  a  mountain  if 
she  sought  comfort.  Obeying,  she  proceeded  thither,  and 
found  the  naked  bodies  of  her  husband  and  two  sons.  So 
copiously  flowed  her  tears  that  the  bottom  of  the  cave  was 
filled  with  water,  which  submerged  the  bodies.  Nor  were 
her  groans  without  avail,  for  they  reached  the  heart  of  the 
powerful  Wilghtnee,  a  woman  greatly  respected  for  her  good- 
ness, and  because  she  controlled  the  salmon,  causing  them 
every  year  to  ascend  the  river,  and  bringing  other  fish  from 
the  deep  sea  near  to  the  shore.  Wilghtnee  lived  in  a  lake  of 
sweet  water  above  the  cave,  and  soon  learned  the  story  of 
wrongs  and  injustice  from  the  weeping  woman.  Command- 
ing her  to  cease  lamenting,  and  assuring  her  that  she  need 
not  grieve  for  the  want  of  skins  in  which  to  sew  her  dead,  as 
was  the  custom,  Wilghtnee  took  the  bodies  where  should  fall 
upon  them  the  waters  from  her  mountain  lake,  and  in  a  short 
time  they  became  fresh  and  beautiful,  shining  like  the  flesh 
of  the  halibut.  Then  were  they  returned  to  the  cave,  and 
Wilghtnee  promised  that  they  should  forever  after  remain 
unchanged.  Retribution  followed  the  chief's  cruelty,  for 
Wilghtnee  was  as  relentless  in  her  anger  as  she  was  tender  in 
her  sympathy,  and  not  a  salmon  was  permitted  to  enter  the 
river  or  lake  that  year,  which  caused  the  death  from  hunger 
of  the  chief  and  many  of  his  tribe.  Then  was  the  woman 
made  his  successor,  and  during  her  rule  never  again  did 
Wilghtnee  permit  the  salmon  to  fail.  The  new  ruler  taught 
the  people  how  to  preserve  their  dead,  and  closed  the  cave, 
in  which  alone  and  forever  she  destined  should  remain  her 
Ssootchetnee  husband  and  children. 

On  the  3d  of  August  Mr.  Petroff  reached  the  trading-post 
at  Belkovsky,  and  thence  passed  along  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  the  Alaskan  peninsula,  through  Unimak  strait  into 
Bering  sea,  to  Iliuliuk,  Unalaska  island,  where  he  remained 
for  two  weeks,  and  where  he  received  cordial  assistance  in 
his  labors  from  all  who  had  it  in  their  power  to  help  him. 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  303 

Mr.  Greenbaum,  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  company,  ob- 
tained for  him  access  to  the  church  and  company  records, 
and  gave  him  a  desk  in  his  office.  Throughout  this  trip  Mr. 
Greenbaum  was  exceedingly  kind,  furnishing  him  means  of 
transportation,  and  otherwise  assisting  in  his  explorations. 
Bishop  Seghers  of  British  Columbia,  and  Father  Montard, 
the  Yukon  missionary,  furnished  much  important  material 
concerning  the  Yukon  country.  The  bishop  was  an  accom- 
plished Russian  linguist.  Father  Shashnikof,  the  most  intelli- 
gent and  respected  of  all  the  representatives  of  the  Greek 
church,  was  the  oldest  priest  in  Alaska,  and  chief  authority  on 
the  past  and  present  condition  of  the  Aleuts,  and  had  in  his 
possession  documents  of  great  value,  of  ancient  date,  and 
interesting  matter. 

Mr.  Petroff  visited,  among  other  places  of  historic  interest, 
the  spot  where  Captain  Levashef  wintered  in  1768,  ten  years 
before  Captain  Cook,  imagining  himself  its  discoverer,  took 
possession  for  the  British  crown.  A  few  iron  implements  left 
by  the  earlier  party,  or  stolen  from  them,  are  still  exhibited 
by  the  natives.  Again  he  visited  an  island  where  a  massacre 
of  Russians  by  Aleuts  took  place  in  1786;  the  ground  plan 
of  the  Russian  winter  houses  is  still  visible. 

Mr.  Lucien  Turner,  signal  service  officer  and  correspondent 
of  the  Smithsonian  institute,  had  been  stationed  at  various 
points  in  this  vicinity  for  many  years,  and  had  made  a 
thorough  study  of  the  languages,  habits,  and  traditions  of 
all  tribes  belonging  to  the  Innuit  and  Tinneh  families.  Petroff 
found  him  a  valuable  informant  on  many  subjects. 

Hearing  of  an  octogenarian  Aleut  at  Makushino,  on  the 
southwestern  side  of  the  island,  whose  testimony  it  was 
important  to  obtain,  Petroff  went  in  search  of  the  old  man, 
accompanied  by  the  Iliuliuk  chief  Rooff  as  interpreter,  and 
another  Aleut  as  guide.  They  encountered  great  difficulties. 
Instead  of  the  five  or  six  streams  described  they  waded  knee- 
deep  through  fifty-two  the  first  day.  At  five  the  next  morning 
they  started  again.  It  was  possible  only  at  low  tide  to  round 
the  projecting  points  of  rock,  and  at  times  they  jumped  from 


304  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

bowlder  to  bowlder,  at  others  they  crept  along  narrow  slip- 
pery shelves,  while  the  angry  tide  roared  at  their  feet,  and 
overhanging  cliffs  precluded  the  possibility  of  ascent.  Eleven 
wearisome  hours  of  walking  brought  them  to  a  lake,  through 
which  for  two  miles  they  waded,  as  their  only  way  of  reaching 
Makushino.  There  the  old  chief  received  them  well  and  told 
all  he  knew. 

Before  leaving  Iliuliuk,  Mr.  Petroff  had  long  interviews  with 
Doctor  Mclntyre,  Captain  Erskine,  and  Mr.  John  M.  Morton. 

Again  the  cutter  weighed  anchor,  amidst  dipping  of  flags 
and  waving  of  handkerchiefs.  This  was  on  the  19th  of 
August,  and  at  noon  the  following  day  they  arrived  at  St. 
George,  where  Mr.  Morgan  and  Doctor  Specting,  the  agent 
and  physician  of  the  fur  company,  came  on  board  and  gave 
Mr.  Petrofif  some  notes.  Upon  reaching  St.  Paul  that  evening, 
Mr.  Armstrong,  an  agent  of  the  company,  and  Petroff  landed 
in  a  whale-boat,  passing  between  jagged  rocks  through  dan- 
gerous surf.  They  were  met  by  Captain  Moulton,  treasury 
agent.  Doctor  Kelley,  and  Mr.  Mclntyre,  who,  together  with 
Mr.  Armstrong,  kindly  assisted  in  making  extracts  that  night 
from  their  archives  and  hospitably  entertained  him.  Early 
the  following  morning  Father  Shashnikof  placed  in  Petroff 's 
hands  bundles  of  church  records,  with  which  the  former 
priest  had  begun  to  paper  his  house,  but  the  present  incum- 
bent, recognizing  their  value,  rescued  the  remainder.  The 
chief  of  the  Aleuts  spent  some  time  with  him,  giving  a  clear 
account  of  the  past  and  present  condition  of  his  people. 
He  was  very  intelligent,  and  evidently  had  Russian  blood  in 
his  veins. 

At  Tchitchtagof,  on  Altoo  island,  where  the  cutter  an- 
chored the  25th,  Petroff  found  records  of  the  community 
kept  during  the  past  fifty  years.  Five  days  later  saw  the 
Rush  at  Atkha,  in  Nazan  bay.  Here  some  interesting  inci- 
dents of  early  days  were  obtained  from  two  old  men  and  one 
woman  of  eighty.  On  all  these  islands  the  natives  spoke  of 
M.  Pinart  and  his  researches.  On  the  ist  of  September 
they  landed  at  Unalaska,  where  Petrofif  met  Mr,  Lunievsky, 


HISTORIC   EXPLORATIONS   NORTHWARD.  305 

Mr.  King,  Mr.  Fred  Swift,  and  the  Reverend  Innocentius 
Shashnikof,  and  was  at  once  put  in  possession  of  the  archives, 
and  materially  assisted  in  his  labors  by  the  priest  throughout 
his  stay.  The  Rush  was  detained  here  several  days  on 
account  of  the  weather.  Gregori  Krukof,  trader  from  a 
neighboring  village,  named  Borka,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
island,  and  the  native  chief  Nikolai,  visited  Unalaska  during 
that  time,  and  took  Petroiif  back  with  them  to  visit  the  place 
where  Captain  Cook  had  wintered  in  1778.  Borka  is  situated 
on  Beaver  bay,  between  a  lake  and  a  small  cove.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  bidarkas  the  chief  assembled  the  oldest  of  the 
inhabitants  and  questioned  them  as  to  their  knowledge  of 
Captain  Cook.  They  related  what  they  remembered  as  told 
them  by  their  parents,  that  once  a  foreign  vessel  came  into 
Beaver  bay  and  anchored  opposite  to  their  village,  off  Bob- 
rovskaya,  where  it  remained  but  a  kw  days,  afterward 
sailing  around  into  what  has  ever  since  been  called  the 
''  English  burkhta,"  or  bay,  where  the  vessel  was  moored 
and  remained  all  winter.  The  foreigners  built  winter- quar- 
ters, and  with  the  natives  killed  seals,  which  abounded  at  that 
time.  The  captain's  name  was  Kukha.  The  following 
morning  Petroff,  with  the  chief  as  guide,  visited  the  places 
mentioned.  All  that  remains  of  Bobrovskaya  is  a  gigantic 
growth  of  weeds  and  grass  over  the  building  sites  and  depres- 
sions where  houses  had  stood.  A  whitewashed  cross  marks 
the  spot  where  the  chapel  was  established,  and  at  some  dis- 
tance away,  on  the  hill-side,  a  few  posts  and  crosses  indicate 
the  ancient  graveyard.  Two  or  three  miles  intervened 
between  the  old  village  and  the  anchorage,  the  trail  being 
obliterated  by  luxuriant  vegetation.  It  is  a  beautiful  land- 
locked bay,  and  as  a  harbor  for  safety  and  convenience  can- 
not be  excelled  in  all  Alaska.  Abreast  of  this  anchorage  is  a 
circular  basin,  into  which  empties  the  water  running  over  a 
ledge  of  rocks.  Between  the  basin  and  the  beach  is  an  exca- 
vation in  a  side  hill,  twenty  feet  square,  indicating  the  winter 
habitation  of  foreigners,  as  it  is  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the 
Aleuts  to  build  in  that  shape  or  situation. 
20 


3o6  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

Mr.  Petroff  made  an  expedition  to  some  Indian  fortifica- 
tions, supposed  to  be  two  hundred  years  old,  situated  on  the 
top  of  a  mountain  two  thousand  feet  high  and  ten  miles 
distant.  According  to  tradition  there  had  been  fierce  wars 
between  the  Koniagas,  or  Kadiak  islanders,  and  the  Unalas- 
ka  people,  and  the  ruins  of  fortifications  on  both  islands 
confirm  these  traditions. 

On  the  9th  of  October  the  Rush  started  on  the  homeward 
voyage,  reaching  San  Francisco  the  27  th. 

Several  other  trips  to  Alaska  were  made  by  Mr.  Petroff 
during  his  engagement  with  me,  and  while  none  of  them 
were  wholly  for  historical  purposes,  hke  the  one  just  narrated, 
material  for  history  was  ever  prominent  in  his  mind.  After 
the  return  of  the  Rush  Mr.  Petroff  resumed  his  labor  in  the 
library,  which  for  the  most  part  consisted  in  extracting  Alaska 
material  and  translating  Russian  books  and  manuscripts 
for  me. 

While  thus  engaged  he  saw  a  notice  in  the  Alaska  Times 
of  the  2d  of  April,  1870,  that  General  J.  C.  Davis  had  ad- 
dressed to  the  secretary  of  war  in  Washington  five  boxes  of 
books  and  papers,  formerly  belonging  to  the  Russian-American 
fur  company,  and  had  sent  them  to  division  headquarters 
at  San  Francisco  by  the  Newbern.  It  was  in  December, 
1878,  that  this  important  discovery  was  made.  Upon  inquiry 
from  Adjutant-general  John  C.  Kelton  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  boxes  had  been  forwarded  to  the  war  department  in 
Washington.  Secretary  McCrary  was  questioned  upon  the 
matter,  and  replied  that  the  boxes  had  been  transferred  to 
the  state  department.  Mr.  John  M.  Morton  and  William 
Gouvemeur  Morris,  then  on  their  way  to  Washington,  were 
spoken  to  on  the  subject,  and  promised  to  institute  a  search 
for  the  archives.  On  the  13th  of  February,  1879,  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Morton  announced  that  the  boxes  had  been  found 
by  him  among  a  lot  of  rubbish  in  a  basement  of  the  state 
department,  where  they  were  open  to  inspection,  but  could  not 
be  removed.     The  greater  portion  of  the  next  two  years  was 


1 


HISTORIC    EXPLORATIONS    NORTHWARD.  307 

spent  by  Mr.  Petroff  in  Washington  extracting  material  for 
my  History  of  Alaska  from  the  contents  of  these  boxes.  The 
library  of  congress  was  likewise  examined ;  also  the  archives 
of  the  navy  and  interior  and  coast  survey  departments,  and 
the  geological  and  ethnological  bureaus. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

FURTHER    LIBRARY    DETAIL. 

I  worlced  with  patience,  which  means  ahnost  power.  I  did  some 
excellent  things  indifferently,  some  bad  things  excellently.  Both  were 
praised ;  the  latter  loudest. — Mrs.  Browning. 

IN  treating  of  the  main  issues  of  these  industries,  I  have 
somewhat  neglected  library  details,  which  I  esteem  not 
the  least  important  part  of  these  experiences.  If  the  history 
of  my  literary  efforts  be  worth  the  writing,  it  is  in  the  small 
particulars  of  every-day  labors  that  the  reader  will  find  the 
greatest  profit.  The  larger  results  speak  for  themselves,  and 
need  no  particular  description ;  it  is  the  way  in  which  things 
were  done,  the  working  of  the  system,  and  the  means  which 
determined  results,  that  are,  if  anything,  of  value  here.     . 

Regular  business  hours  were  kept  in  the  library,  namely, 
from  eight  to  twelve,  and  from  one  to  six.  Smoking  was 
freely  allowed.  Certain  assistants  desired  to  work  evenings 
and  draw  extra  pay.  This  was  permitted  in  some  instances, 
but  always  under  protest.  Nine  hours  of  steady  work  were 
assuredly  enough  for  one  day,  and  additional  time  seldom 
increased  results ;  so,  after  oftering  discouragement  for  several 
years,  a  rule  was  established  abolishing  extra  work. 

So  rapid  was  the  growth  of  the  library  after  1869,  and 
so  disarranged  had  become  the  books  by  mucli  handling 
for  indexing  and  other  purposes,  that  by  midsummer,  1872, 
when  Goldschmidt  had  finished  a  long  work  of  supple- 
mentary cataloguing,  and  the  later  arrivals  were  ready  to 
occupy  their  places  on  the  shelves,  it  was  deemed  expedient 

308 


FURTHER   LIBRARY   DETAIL.  309 

to  drop  the  regular  routine  and  devote  three  or  four  weeks 
to  placing  things  in  order,  which  was  done  not  only  then 
but  at  intervals  thereafter. 

Mr.  Oak  spent  three  months  in  preparing  a  plan  for  the 
new  index,  and  in  indexing  a  number  of  books  in  order  to 
test  it  and  perfect  the  system.  Goldschmidt's  time  was  given 
to  taking  out  notes  on  the  subject  of  languages,  with  some 
work  on  the  large  ethnographical  map,  which  was  prepared 
only  as  the  work  progressed.  Others  were  taking  out  notes 
on  mythology,  gathering  historical  reminiscences  from  pio- 
neers; epitomizing  voyages  and  narratives. 

The  books  given  out  to  the  indexers  at  this  time  were  such 
as  contained  information  concerning  those  tribes  which  were 
first  to  be  described ;  that  is,  if  I  was  soon  to  be  writing  on 
the  peoples  of  New  Caledonia,  as  the  interior  of  British 
Columbia  was  once  called,  I  would  give  the  indexers  all  books 
of  travel  through  that  region,  and  all  works  containing  infor- 
mation on  those  nations  first,  so  that  I  might  have  the  benefit 
of  the  index  in  extracting  the  material.  In  this  manner  the 
indexers  were  kept  just  in  advance  of  the  note-takers,  until 
they  had  indexed  all  the  books  in  the  library  having  in  them 
any  information  concerning  the  aborigines  of  any  part  of  the 
territory.  At  intervals,  whatever  the  cause  of  it,  the  subject 
came  up  to  me  in  a  new  light,  and  I  planned  and  partitioned 
it,  as  it  were,  instinctively. 

The  system  of  note-taking,  as  perfected  in  details  and 
supervised  by  Mr.  Nemos,  was  as  follows :  The  first  step  for 
a  beginner  was  to  make  references,  in  books  given  him  for 
that  purpose,  to  the  information  required,  giving  the  place 
where  found  and  the  nature  of  the  facts  therein  mentioned ; 
after  this  he  would  take  out  the  information  in  the  form  of 
notes.  By  this  means  he  would  learn  how  to  classify  and 
how  duly  to  condense ;  he  would  also  become  familiar  with 
the  respective  merits  of  authors,  their  bent  of  thought,  and 
the  age  in  which  they  lived,  and  the  fulness  and  trustworthi- 
ness of  their  works. 


3IO  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

The  notes  were  written  on  half  sheets  of  legal  folios,  one 
following  another,  without  regard  to  length  or  subject,  but 
always  leaving  a  space  between  the  notes  so  that  they  could 
be  torn  apart.  When  separated  and  arranged  they  were 
placed  in  paper  bags,  on  which  were  marked  subject  and 
date,  and  the  bags  numbered  chronologically  and  entered  in 
a  book. 

After  the  notes  had  been  used  as  arranged,  according  to 
subject  and  date,  with  all  printed  matter  at  hand  bearing  on 
the  subject,  they  were  pasted  on  sheets  of  strong  brown 
paper,  folded  and  cut  to  the  required  size.  On  this  work 
alone  two  men  and  two  boys  were  engaged  for  over  a  year. 
These,  bound  and  lettered,  made  some  three  hundred  books, 
fifteen  by  eighteen  inches,  varying  in  thickness  according  to 
contents. 

The  contents  were  arranged  after  the  plan  of  the  history, 
and  present  the  subject  much  more  in  detail  than  the  printed 
volumes.  This  series  constitutes  in  itself  a  library  of  Pacific 
coast  history  which  eighty  thousand  dollars  could  not  duplicate 
even  with  the  library  at  hand. 

Thus  qualified,  the  assistant  was  given  a  mass  of  notes  and 
references  covering  a  certain  period,  or  series  of  incidents, 
with  instructions  to  so  reduce  the  subject-matter  that  I  might 
receive  it  weeded  of  all  superfluities  and  repetitions,  whether 
in  words  or  in  facts  already  expressed  by  previous  authors, 
yet  containing  every  fact,  however  minute,  every  thought  and 
conclusion,  including  such  as  occurred  to  the  preparer,  and 
arranged  in  as  good  a  historic  order  as  the  assistant  could 
give  it. 

The  method  to  be  followed  by  the  assistant  to  this  end  was 
as  follows  :  He  aiTanged  the  references  and  notes  that  pointed 
to  events  in  a  chronologic  order,  yet  bringing  together  certain 
incidents  of  different  dates  if  the  historic  order  demanded 
it.  Institutionary  and  descriptive  notes,  on  commerce,  educa- 
tion, with  geography,  etc.,  were  then  joined  to  such  dates 
or  occurrences  as  called  for  their  use :  geography  coming 
together  with  an  expedition  into  a  new  country ;  education, 


FURTHER   LIBRARY   DETAIL.  3II 

with  the  efforts  of  churchmen ;  commerce  in  connection  with 
the  rule  of  some  governor  who  promoted  certain  phases  of  it; 
descriptions  of  towns,  when  they  were  founded,  destroyed,  or 
prominently  brought  forward. 

This  prehminary  grouping  was  greatly  facilitated  by  the 
general  arrangement  of  all  the  notes  for  the  particular  sec- 
tion of  territory,  Central  America,  Mexico,  California,  etc., 
already  made  by  an  experienced  assistant.  In  connection 
with  both  arrangements  a  more  or  less  detailed  list  of  events 
and  subjects  was  made  to  aid  in  grasping  the  material. 

With  the  material  thus  grouped  it  was  found  that  each 
small  subdivision,  incident,  or  descriptive  matter  had  a  num- 
ber of  notes  bearing  upon  it,  from  different  authors,  sometimes 
several  score.  These  must  then  be  divided  into  three  or  more 
classes,  according  to  the  value  of  the  authority:  the  first  class 
comprising  original  narratives  and  reports;  the  second,  such 
as  were  based  partly  on  the  first,  yet  possessed  certain  original 
facts  or  thoughts ;  the  third,  those  which  were  merely  copied 
from  others,  or  presented  brief  and  hasty  compilations. 

The  assistant  then  took  the  best  of  his  first-class  authorities, 
the  fullest  and  most  reliable,  so  far  as  he  could  judge  after  a 
brief  glance,  and  proceeded  to  extract  subject-matter  from 
the  pages  of  the  book  to  which  the  reference  directed  him. 
This  he  did  partly  in  his  own  language,  partly  in  a  series  of 
quotations.  The  accurate  use  of  quotation  marks  and  stars 
consumed  much  time.  Yet  I  always  insisted  upon  this :  the 
note-taker  could  throw  anything  he  pleased  into  his  own 
words,  but  if  he  used  the  exact  words  of  the  author  he  must 
plainly  indicate  it.  Sometimes  he  found  the  extract  already 
made  on  the  slips  called  notes.  The  same  book  might  appear 
to  be  the  best  authority  for  a  succession  of  topics,  and  the 
extracting  was  continued  for  some  time  before  the  book  was 
laid  aside.  Each  extract  was  indexed  in  the  margin,  and  at 
the  foot  of  it,  or  on  the  page,  was  written  the  title  of  the  book 
or  paper  from  which  it  had  been  taken. 

The  next  best  authorities  were  then  read  on  the  same  topic 
or  series  of  topics,  and  any  information  additional  or  con- 


312  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

tradictory  to  what  had  already  been  noted  was  extracted  and 
placed  at  the  foot  of  the  page  bearing  on  the  subject,  or  on 
a  blank  page,  on  which  Avas  indexed  a  heading  similar  to 
that  of  the  original  page,  so  as  to  bring  the  same  topics 
together.  If  these  contradictions  or  additions  bore  on  par- 
ticular expressions  or  facts  in  the  original  extract,  they  were 
subdivided  in  accordance  with  and  by  means  of  numbers 
brought  in  connection  with  the  particular  word  or  line.  To 
each  subdivision  was  added  the  title  of  the  authority.  The 
titles  of  all,  or  of  several  first-class  authorities  which  agreed 
with  the  original  extract,  were  also  added  to  the  foot  of  that 
extract,  with  the  remark,  "  the  same  in  brief,"  or  "  in  full  "  as 
the  case  might  be.  This  showed  me  which  authors  confirmed 
and  which  contradicted  any  statement,  and  enabled  me  read- 
ily to  draw  conclusions.  From  second-class  authors  the  assis- 
tant obtained  rarely  anything  but  observations,  while  the  third 
class  yielded  sometimes  nothing. 

As  he  proceeded  in  this  refining  process,  or  system  of  con- 
densation, the  assistant  added  in  notes  to  particular  hnes  or 
paragraphs  his  own  observations  on  the  character  of  the  hero, 
the  incident,  or  the  author. 

By  this  means  I  obtained,  as  it  were,  a  bird's-eye  view  of 
all  evidence  on  the  topics  for  my  history,  as  I  took  them  up 
one  after  the  other  in  accordance  with  my  own  order  and 
plan  for  writing.  It  saved  me  the  drudgery  and  loss  of  time 
of  thoroughly  studying  any  but  the  best  authorities,  or  more 
than  a  few  first-class  ancient  and  modern  books. 

To  more  experienced  and  able  assistants  were  given  the 
study  and  reduction  of  certain  minor  sections  of  the  history, 
which  I  employed  in  my  writing  after  more  or  less  conden- 
sation and  change. 

The  tendency  with  all  the  work  was  toward  voluminous- 
ness.  Not  that  I  am  inclined  to  prolixity,  but  the  subjects 
were  so  immense  that  it  often  appeared  impossible  to  crowd 
the  facts  within  a  compass  which  would  seem  reasonable  to 
the  reader.  And  none  but  those  who  have  tried  it  can  realize 
all  the  difticulties  connected  with  this  kind  of  writing.   Besides 


FURTHER   LIBRARY    DETAIL.  313 

increasing  the  labor  fourfold,  it  often  interferes  with  style, 
checks  enthusiasm,  and  makes  an  author  feel  like  one  doomed 
to  run  a  mile  race  in  a  peck  measure.  But  while  I  was 
resolved  to  take  space  enough  fairly  to  present  the  subject 
under  consideration,  I  could  not  but  remember  that  as  books 
multiply,  readers  demand  conciseness,  and  that  no  fault  can 
be  greater  in  this  present  age  than  verbosity. 

In  November,  1872, 1  engaged  a  copperplate  engraver,  and 
from  that  time  till  the  Native  Races  was  completed  I  had 
engravers  at  work  at  the  Market-street  end  of  the  library  and 
elsewhere.  The  cuts  for  volume  iv.,  such  of  them  as  I  did 
not  purchase  from  eastern  authors  and  publishers,  were  all 
prepared  in  the  engraving  department  of  the  printing-oflice, 
on  the  third  floor. 

On  this  floor  likewise,  a  year  or  two  later,  the  type  was  set 
and  the  first  proof  read.  Matters  of  no  inconsiderable  im- 
portance and  care  with  me  were  the  type  I  should  use  and 
the  style  of  my  page.  After  examining  every  variety  within 
my  reach,  I  settled  upon  the  octavo  English  edition  of 
Buckle's  Civilization,  as  well  for  the  text  and  notes  as  for  the 
system  of  numbering  the  notes  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  the  chapter.  It  was  plain,  broad-faced,  clear,  and  easily 
read.  The  notes  and  reference  figures  were  all  in  perfect 
taste  and  harmony.  It  is  a  style  of  page  that  one  never  tires 
of.  I  sent  to  Scotland  for  the  type,  as  I  could  find  none  of 
it  in  America. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  I  studied  the  question  of  the 
origin  of  the  Americans,  to  find  a  place  for  it  in  some  part  of 
the  Native  Races,  I  did  not  know  then  exactly  where.  When 
I  began  this  subject  I  proposed  to  settle  it  immediately ;  when 
I  finished  it  I  Avas  satisfied  that  neither  I  nor  any  one  else 
knew,  or  without  more  light  ever  could  know,  anything  about 
it,  I  found  some  sixty  theories,  one  of  them  about  as 
plausible  or  as  absurd  as  another,  and  hardly  one  of  them 
capable  of  being  proved  or  disproved.  I  concluded  to 
spread  them  all  before  my  readers,  not  as  of  any  intrinsic 


314  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

■  value,  but  merely  as  curiosities ;  and  this  I  did  in  the  opening 
chapter  of  volume  v.  of  the  Native  Races. 

Meanwhile  indexers  were  constantly  coming  and  going,  at- 
tempting and  failing.  After  trying  a  hundred  or  more  of  the 
applicants  who  presented  themselves,  and  securing  little  more 
than  a  dozen  capable  of  doing  the  work,  I  concluded  to  try 
no  more,  unless  it  should  be  some  one  manifesting  marked 
ability,  but  let  those  already  engaged  continue  until  the  index 
Avas  finished.  Nine  tenths  of  the  applicants  were  totally  unfit 
for  the  work,  though  some  professed  to  be  able,  like  Pytha- 
goras, to  write  on  the  moon  and  in  as  many  languages  as 
Pantagruel  could  speak. 

The  fact  is  these  constant  experiments  operated  too  severely 
against  me.  First,  the  applicant  expected  pay  for  his  time 
whether  he  succeeded  or  not;  secondly,  no  inconsiderable 
portion  of  the  time  of  the  best  indexers  was  spent  in  teach- 
ing the  new-comers ;  and  thirdly,  those  who  attempted  and 
failed  were  sure  to  be  dissatisfied  and  to  charge  the  cause  of 
failure  to  any  one  but  themselves. 

During  the  first  half  of  1873  work  continued  about  as 
before.  Mr.  Oak  spent  some  weeks  on  antiquities,  but  was 
occupied  a  good  portion  of  the  time  on  early  voyages.  .  All 
this  time  I  was  writing  on  northern  Indian  matter,  giving  out 
the  notes  on  the  southern  divisions  to  others  to  go  over  the 
field  again  and  take  out  additional  notes. 

While  the  subject  of  early  voyages  was  under  my  notice  I 
felt  the  necessity  of  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  early  maps. 
Directing  Goldschmidt  to  lay  out  all  cosmographies,  collec- 
tions of  voyages,  or  other  books  containing  early  maps,  also 
atlases  oi  facsimiles^  and  single  maps,  together  we  went  over 
the  entire  field.  Beginning  with  the  earliest  map,  we  first 
wrote  a  description  of  it,  stating  by  whom  and  when  it  was 
drawn,  and  what  it  purported  to  be.  Then,  from  some  point, 
usually  the  isthmus  of  Panama,  we  commenced,  and,  follow- 
ing the  coast,  wrote  on  foolscap  paper  the  name  of  each 
place,  with  remarks  on  its  spelling,  its  location,  and  other 
points,  marking  also  at  the  top  of  the  page  the  name,  and 


FURTHER   LIBRARY    DETAIL.  315 

taking  usually  one  page  for  every  place.  Every  geographical 
name  and  location,  great  and  small,  which  we  could  find  on 
any  early  map  was  thus  entered,  together  with  the  title  of  the 
map  or  source  of  infoiTiiation.  From  the  next  map  we  would 
take  new  information  respecting  previous  names,  and  also 
new  names.  After  thus  training  Goldschmidt  I  left  him  to 
complete  the  task,  and  when  he  had  thus  gone  over  all  our 
maps  we  found  before  us  all  information  on  each  place  that 
could  be  derived  from  maps.  Several  months  were  thus 
occupied,  and  when  the  manuscript  was  bound  in  three  vol- 
umes and  lettered,  there  was  added  to  the  library  a  Carto- 
graphy of  the  Pacific  Coast,  unique  and  invaluable  in  tracing 
the  early  history  and  progress  of  discovery. 

A  fire  which  broke  out,  as  I  have  said,  in  November,  1873, 
in  the  basement  of  the  western  side  of  the  building  seemed 
likely  for  a  moment  suddenly  to  terminate  all  our  labors. 
At  one  time  there  appeared  not  one  chance  in  ten  that  the 
building  or  its  contents  Avould  be  saved;  but  thanks  to  a 
prompt  and  efficient  fire  department,  the  flames  were  extin- 
guished, with  a  loss  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  only  to 
the  insurance  companies.  The  time  was  about  half-past  five 
in  the  evening.  I  had  left  the  library,  but  my  assistants 
were  seated  at  their  tables  writing.  A  thick  black  smoke, 
which  rose  suddenly  and  filled  the  room,  was  the  first  intima- 
tion they  had  of  the  fire.  To  have  saved  anything  in  case 
the  fire  had  reached  them  would  have  been  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. They  were  so  blinded  by  the  smoke  that  they  dared 
not  trust  themselves  to  the  stairs,  and  it  was  with  difliiculty 
they  groped  their  way  to  a  ladder  at  one  side  of  the  room, 
which  led  to  the  roof,  by  which  means  they  mounted  and 
emerged  into  the  open  air.  In  case  the  building  had  burned, 
their  escape  would  have  been  uncertain.  No  damage  was 
done  to  the  library,  and  all  were  at  their  places  next  morn- 
ing ;  but  it  came  home  to  me  more  vividly  than  ever  before, 
the  uncertainty,  not  to  say  vanity,  of  earthly  things.  Had 
those  flames  been  given  five  minutes  more,  the   Bancroft 


31 6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

library,  with  the  Bancroft  business,  would  have  been  swept 
from  the  face  of  earth,  and  the  lore  within  would  have  been 
lost  to  the  world. 

In  regard  to  the  risk  of  fire,  as  my  writings  increased,  and 
the  manuscripts  in  my  room  represented  more  and  more  the 
years  of  my  life  and  the  wearing  away  of  my  brain,  I  deemed 
it  wise  and  prudent  to  have  copies  made  of  all  that  had  been 
and  was  to  be  written.  Since  it  Avould  have  been  premature 
to  begin  printing  at  this  time,  I  called  in  copyists,  about 
twenty,  who  in  three  or  four  months  transcribed  in  copying 
ink  all  that  I  had  written ;  from  this  a  second  copy  was  made 
by  means  of  a  copying  press.  This  performance  completed, 
I  sent  one  copy  to  my  house,  one  copy  to  Oakville,  and  kept 
the  original  in  the  library;  then  I  went  to  sleep  o'  nights 
defying  the  elements  or  any  of  their  actions. 

In  December,  1873,  witla  Goldschmidt's  assistance,  I  made 
a  thorough  investigation  of  aboriginal  languages  on  this 
coast.  The  subject  was  a  somewhat  difficult  one  to  manage, 
dialects  and  affinities  running,  as  they  do,  hither  and  thither 
over  the  country,  but  I  finally  satisfied  myself  that  the  plan 
of  treating  it  as  originally  adopted  was  not  the  proper  one. 
The  result  was  that  Goldschmidt  was  obliged  to  go  over  the 
entire  field  again,  and  re-arrange  and  add  to  the  subject- 
matter  before  I  would  attempt  the  writing  of  it. 

Parts  of  the  work  seemed  at  times  to  proceed  slowly.  The 
mythology  dragged  as  though  it  never  would  have  an  end. 
The  temptation  to  shirk,  for  certain  of  my  assistants,  was  too 
great  to  be  resisted.  Witli  one  or  two  years'  work  before 
them,  abstracting  material  according  to  subject  instead  of  by 
the  book  tended  in  some  instances  to  laxity  and  laziness  on 
the  part  of  the  note-taker.  Any  one  so  choosing,  in  taking 
out  notes  on  a  given  subject  with  the  view  of  making  his 
subject  complete,  and  at  the  same  time  not  duplicating 
his  notes,  could  plant  himself  in  the  midst  of  his  work  and 
there  remain,  bidding  me  defiance ;  for  if  I  discharged  him, 
as  under  ordinary  circumstances  I  should  have  done,  it  would 
be  at  the  loss  perhaps  of  six  months'  or  a  year's  time.     This 


FURTHER   LIBRARY   DETAIL.  317 

was  well  understood,  and  some  took  advantage  of  it.  But  such 
I  discharged  immediately  that  particular  piece  of  work  was 
done. 

No  little  care  was  required  to  keep  in  order  the  files  of 
newspapers.  As  there  were  so  many  of  them,  I  did  not 
attempt  to  keep  complete  more  than  the  leading  journals 
on  the  coast.  Many  country  editors  sent  the  library  their 
journals  gratuitously. 

My  chief  source  of  newspaper  supply  was  from  the  public 
libraries  and  advertising  agencies  of  San  Francisco.  To  the 
latter  were  sent  all  interior  journals,  and  by  arrangement 
with  the  agents  these  were  kept  for  me.  They  amounted 
to  several  wagon-loads  annually.  Once  or  twice  a  year  I 
sent  for  them,  and  out  of  them  completed  my  files  as  far  as 
possible.  In  a  large  record-book  was  kept  an  account  of 
these  files,  the  name  of  each  journal  being  entered  on  a  page 
and  indexed  and  the  numbers  on  the  shelves  entered,  so  that 
by  the  book  might  be  ascertained  what  were  in  the  library 
and  what  were  lacking.  In  this  manner  some  fifty  or  sixty 
thousand  newspapers  were  added  to  the  library  annually. 

The  task  of  indexing  the  books  was  so  severe,  that  at  one 
time  it  seemed  doubtful  if  ever  the  newspapers  would  be  in- 
dexed. But  when  it  became  clearly  evident  that  history 
needed  the  information  therein  contained,  twenty  new  men 
were  engaged  and  drilled  to  the  task.  I  sometimes  became 
impatient  over  what  seemed  slow  progress,  yet,  buying 
another  wagon-load  of  chairs  and  tables,  I  would  fill  all 
available  space  with  new  laborers,  all  their  work  being  after- 
ward tested  by  the  most  reHable  members  of  my  staff. 

The  leading  journals  of  the  United  States,  Mexico,  and 
Europe,  before  which  I  wished  to  bring  my  work,  I  now 
noted,  and  directed  Goldschmidt  to  mail  to  their  addresses 
copies  of  such  descriptions  of  the  library  as  appeared  in  the 
best  papers  here. 

The  printing  of  volume  11.,  Native  Races,  was  begun  in 
May,  1874,  and  continued,  sometimes  very  slowly,  till  Feb- 
ruary, 1875.     Matters  proceeded  during  the  last  half  of  1874 


3l8  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

about  as  usual.  Between  one  Saturday  night  and  Monday 
morning  my  engraver  absconded  to  the  east,  and  the  maps 
immediately  required  I  was  obliged  to  send  to  Philadelphia 
to  be  engraved. 

While  up  to  my  neck  in  this  most  harassing  of  labors,  with 
three  unfinished  volumes,  embracing  several  main  divisions 
each,  in  the  hands  of  the  printer,  a  proposition  came  from 
the  proprietor  of  the  Overland  Monthly  to  two  of  my  men, 
offering  them  the  editorship  of  that  journal,  with  larger  pay 
than  I  could  afford  to  give. 

The  young  men  behaved  very  well  about  it.  They  im- 
mediately informed  me  of  the  offer,  asked  me  to  advise  them 
what  they  should  do,  and  assured  me  they  would  not  accept 
unless  with  my  approbation.  Although  they  Avere  deep  in 
my  work,  although  I  must  lose  in  a  great  measure  the  results 
of  their  last  year's  training,  and  I  should  have  to  teach  new 
men  and  delay  publication,  yet  I  did  not  hesitate.  I  told 
them  to  go :  the  pay  was  better,  the  position  was  more  prom- 
inent, and  their  work  would  be  lighter. 

I  do  not  recollect  ever  to  have  allowed  my  interests  to 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  advancement  of  any  young  man  in 
my  service.  Whenever  my  advice  has  been  asked,  remem- 
bering the  time  when  I  was  a  young  man  seeking  a  start,  I 
have  set  myself  aside,  and  have  given  what  I  believed  to  be 
disinterested  advice,  feeling  that  in  case  of  a  sacrifice  I  could 
better  afford  it  than  my  clerk.  I  could  not  but  notice,  how- 
ever, that,  nine  times  in  ten,  when  a  young  man  left  me  it 
was  not  to  better  his  fortune. 

To  those  who  best  know  what  it  is  to  make  a  good  book, 
the  rapidity  and  regularity  with  which  the  several  volumes  of 
my  works  appeared  was  a  source  of  constant  surprise.  "  How 
you  have  managed,"  writes  John  W.  Draper  on  the  receipt  of 
the  fifth  volume  of  the  Native  Races, "  in  so  short  a  time  and  in 
so  satisfactory  a  manner  to  complete  your  great  undertaking 
is  to  me  very  surprising.  The  commendations  that  are  con- 
tained in  the  accompanying  pamphlet  arc  richly  deserved. 
I  endorse  them  all.     And  now  I  suppose  you  feel  as  Gibbon 


FURTHER   LIBRARY    DETAIL.  319 

says  he  did  on  completing  his  Decline.  You  know  he  was 
occupied  with  it  more  than  twenty  years.  He  feh  as  if  the 
occupation  of  his  hfe  was  gone.  But  you  are  far  more  ener- 
getic than  he.  You  are  only  at  the  beginning  of  your  intellec- 
tual life :  he  was  near  the  close.  You  will  find  something 
more  to  do."  Thus  it  is  ever.  Our  best  reward  for  having 
done  one  work  well  is  that  we  have  another  given  us  to  do. 
And  thus  writes  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Native  Races :  "  I  congratulate  you  on  put- 
ting the  last  stone  upon  this  pyramid  you  have  reared.  For 
truly  it  is  a  magJium  opus,  and  the  accomplishment  of  it  as  an 
episode  in  one  man's  life  is  most  remarkable.  Nothing  but 
a  perfect  organization  of  an  immense  literary  workshop  could 
have  effected  so  much  within  so  limited  a  time.  You  have 
found  out  the  two  great  secrets  of  the  division  of  labor  and 
the  union  of  its  results.  The  last  volume  requires  rather  a 
robust  reader ;  but  the  political  history  of  the  ixs  and  the  itls 
is  a  new  chapter,  I  think,  to  most  of  those  who  consider 
themselves  historical  scholars.  All  the  world,  and  especially 
all  the  American  world,  will  thank  you  for  this  noble  addi- 
tion 4:0  its  literary  treasures." 

Such  are  some  of  the  details  of  my  earlier  labors.  But 
above  all,  and  beyond  all,  in  breadth  of  scope  and  in  detail, 
was  the  history  and  the  workings  of  it.  It  was  a  labor  beside 
which  the  quarter-century  application  to  business,  and  the 
Native  Races  with  its  fifty  years  of  creative  work  upon  it, 
sink  into  insignificance;  and  it  was,  perhaps,  the  most  ex- 
tensive effort  ever  undertaken  by  a  private  individual  for 
historical  purposes. 

I  thought  before  this  I  had  accomplished  something  in  life, 
with  my  mercantile  and  manufacturing  establishments  in  full 
and  successful  operation,  and  with  such  literary  effort  as  I  had 
already  put  forth.  I  thought  I  knew  what  heavy  undertakings 
were,  and  what  it  was  out  of  no  very  great  means  to  accom- 
plish great  results ;  but  all  seemed  Liliputian  in  comparison 
with  the  monumental  task  which  the  history  had  laid  upon  me. 


320  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

The  15th  of  October,  1875,  saw  the  Native  Races  com- 
pleted ;  but  long  before  this,  note-taking  on  the  History  of 
the  Pacific  States  had  been  begun  on  the  plan  already  de- 
scribed. As  I  have  before  remarked,  my  purpose  in  this  latter 
effort  was  to  take  up  the  same  territory  as  was  covered  by 
the  Native  Races,  and  continue  its  history  from  the  coming 
of  the  Europeans.  This  would  be  the  history  proper  of  the 
country,  the  Native  Races  being  in  reality  a  description  of 
the  aborigines ;  yet  the  one  followed  the  other  in  natural 
sequence.  Without  the  Native  Races  the  history  would  be 
incomplete,  could  not,  indeed,  be  properly  written ;  while  the 
history  is  in  truth  but  a  continuation  of  the  Native  Races. 

It  is  an  immense  territory,  this  western  half  of  North 
America ;  it  was  a  weighty  responsibility,  at  least  I  felt  it  to 
be  such,  to  lay  the  foundations  of  history  for  this  one  twelfth 
part  of  the  world.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  stood  very  near 
to  the  beginning  of  a  mighty  train  of  events  which  should 
last  to  the  end  of  time ;  that  this  beginning,  now  so  clear  to 
me,  would  soon  become  dim,  become  more  and  more  indis- 
tinct as  the  centuries  passed  by ;  and  though  it  is  impossible 
for  the  history  of  a  civilized  nation  ever  to  drop  wholly  out 
of  existence  while  the  printing-press  continues  to  move,  yet 
much  would  be  lost  and  innumerable  questions  would  arise, 
which  might  ere-long  become  impossible  of  solution,  but 
which  might  now  be  easily  settled.  Large  as  my  conceptions 
were  of  the  magnitude  of  this  labor,  and  with  all  my  business 
and  literary  experience,  here  again,  as  thrice  before  in  these 
historical  efforts,  once  in  the  collecting  of  the  library,  once 
after  completing  the  first  writing  of  the  first  parts  of  my  his- 
tory, and  once  in  the  writing  of  the  Native  Races,  I  had  no 
adequate  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  work  before  I  engaged  in  it. 

The  Native  Races  finished,  the  entire  staff  was  set  to  work 
taking  out  notes  for  the  history.  A  much  more  perfect  sys- 
tem had  been  developed  for  abstracting  this  material  than 
had  been  used  in  any  of  the  former  work.  I  do  not  mean  to 
boast,  or  if  I  do,  it  is  only  witli  a  boasting  which  the  cause 


J 


FURTHER   LIBRARY    DETAIL.  32 1 

makes  pardonable ;  and  further,  it  is  not  of  myself  but  of  my 
assistants  that  I  speak,  for  I  took  out  only  the  notes  for  the 
first  parts  of  my  history  with  my  own  hands ;  I  say,  then, 
without  unpardonable  boasting,  that  among  all  the  achieve- 
ments of  literature,  there  are  few  that  will  compare  in  magni- 
tude with  this,  the  gathering,  abstracting,  and  arranging  of  the 
material  for  the  History  of  the  Facific  States. 

It  was  regard^  as  a  great  achievement  successfully  to 
handle  twelve  hundred  authorities  and  compress  their  con- 
tents into  five  volumes,  presenting  the  list  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  Native  Races.  Still  more  remarkable  was  it  from  two 
thousand  authorities  to  write  the  three  volumes  of  the  History 
of  Central  America.  But  when  on  making  the  list  of  authori- 
ties for  the  six  volumes  of  the  History  of  Mexico  I  found  there 
were  ten  thousand,  I  was  literally  overwhelmed.  All  of  them 
were  more  or  less  consulted  in  writing  the  history,  but  I 
could  not  afford  the  space  to  print  all  the  titles,  as  was  my 
custom.  They  would  occupy  nearly  half  a  volume.  It  was 
finally  resolved  that,  referring  the  reader  to  the  list  of  authori- 
ties printed  in  the  first  volumes  of  Central  America  and  the 
N'orth  Mexican  States,  it  must  suffice  to  print  only  the  more 
important  ones  remaining,  and  to  state  clearly  the  omission 
and  its  cause  at  the  head  of  the  list. 

The  task  of  making  references  as  well  as  that  of  taking  out 
material  was  equivalent  to  five  times  the  labor  of  writing ;  so 
that  before  a  line  was  written  I  found  no  difficulty  in  keeping  em- 
ployed fifteen  to  twenty  persons;  for  example,  in  taking  out  the 
material  for  California  history  alone,  eight  men  were  occupied 
for  six  years ;  for  making  the  references,  merely,  for  the  His- 
tofy  of  Mexico,  without  taking  out  any  of  the  required  informa- 
tion, five  men  were  steadily  employed  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 
Counting  those  engaged  on  such  work  as  indexing  newspapers, 
epitomizing  archives,  and  copying  manuscript,  and  I  have  had 
as  many  as  fifty  men  engaged  in  library  detail  at  one  time. 

Although  the  work  was  to  be  a  history  of  the  Pacific  States 
from  the  coming  of  the  Europeans,  covering  the  same  terri- 
21 


322  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

tory  as  was  embraced  in  the  Native  Races,  and  would  in 
chronological  sequence  begin  with  its  southern  extremity, 
and  follow  the  natural  order  of  discovery  and  conquest 
northward,  yet  for  several  reasons  I  deemed  it  best  to  resume, 
rather  than  where  I  left  off,  the  task  vvdth  the  history  of  Cali- 
fornia :  First  of  all,  for  the  central  division  of  the  subject, 
embracing  northern  Mexico,  Arizona,  California,  Nevada, 
and  Utah,  following  the  natural  channels  of  history  from  the 
conquest  of  Cortes,  more  particularly  of  California,  the  centre 
of  their  central  division,  I  had  in  my  possession  a  great  mass 
of  original  matter,  more,  proportionately,  than  of  the  states 
lying  to  the  south  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  This  material  con- 
sisted of  unpublished  manuscript  histories  and  original  docu- 
ments which  had  lain  hidden  throughout  the  entire  progress  of 
the  country,  and  which  I  had,  little  by  little,  unearthed,  assorted, 
deciphered,  and  put  in  order  for  historical  use ;  material  of  a 
value  which  could  not  be  measured  by  money,  for  if  once  lost 
it  never  could  be  replaced.  If  lost,  it  was  so  much  knowledge 
dropped  out  of  existence,  it  was  so  much  of  human  experience 
withheld  from  the  general  storehouse  of  human  experiences ; 
and  the  loss  would  remain  a  loss  throughout  all  time. 

Moreover,  there  was  more  original  and  unused  material  for 
the  history  of  California  than  had  ever  before  been  collected 
and  preserved  of  any  country  of  like  extent,  population,  and 
age.  The  richness  of  this  material  consisted  in  the  profusion 
of  documentary  and  personal  evidence  placed  side  by  side ; 
letters,  official  papers,  and  missionary  records,  united  with  per- 
sonal narratives,  and  complete  histories  of  epochs  and  locali- 
ties dictated  by  eye-witnesses,  and  written  out  by  men  employed 
solely  for  my  history. 

Day  by  day  and  year  by  year,  I  had  seen  these  priceless 
treasures  accumulate,  until  the  thought  of  their  destruction  by 
fire  became  unendurable,  and  I  determined,  long  before  the 
Native  Races  was  finished,  that  to  place  at  least  the  substance 
of  this  material  beyond  the  peradventure  of  destruction  should 
be  my  very  first  work.  As  I  could  not  then  erect  a  detached 
fire-proof  building  for  my  library,  the  next  most  direct  and 


FURTHER   LIBRARY    DETAIL.  323 

practical  method  was  to  melt  and  draw  off  from  the  mass  the 
metal  of  historic  lore,  and  recast  it  into  permanent  form,  in 
which  it  might  be  preserved  apart  from  the  original  material. 

To  save  the  essence  of  this  invaluable  collection  was  then 
my  first  consideration.  This  preserved,  and  all  my  library 
swept  away,  I  might  possibly,  in  some  way,  by  the  aid  of  the 
archives  of  Mexico  and  the  libraries  of  America  and  Europe, 
complete  my  history;  but  the  California  material  once  lost, 
there  was  an  end  to  all  my  labors. 

Another  reason  why  I  should  first  write  the  central  part  of 
the  Ilisto?y  of  the  Pacific  States  was  that  I  now  found  myself 
at  the  head  of  a  corps  of  thoroughly  competent  and  trained 
assistants,  very  different  in  point  of  knowledge  and  ability 
from  the  untutored  and  unskilled  workmen  who  assisted  me 
at  the  beginning  of  these  undertakings.  They,  as  well  as  I, 
had  learned  much,  had  gained  much  experience  in  abstract- 
ing material  for  history,  and  in  all  that  is  included  in  the 
preparation  of  a  book. 

There  v,ere  several  among  my  assistants  who  could  now 
take  a  book  or  manuscript,  no  matter  how  obliterated  or  in 
what  language,  decipher  it,  and  placing  themselves  at  the 
desk  could  intelligently,  correctly,  systematically,  and  ex- 
peditiously take  out  in  the  form  of  notes  all  the  historical 
matter  the  volume  contained.  When  placed  in  their  hands  I 
had  every  confidence  that  the  work  would  be  properly  done, 
that  it  would  be  no  experiment  of  which  the  results  might 
have  to  be  all  thrown  away  and  the  labor  performed  anew. 
This  no  one  of  them  was  capable  of  doing  at  first. 

They  were  likewise  familiar  with  the  library,  the  books  and 
their  contents,  the  index  and  how  to  use  it,  the  territory  and 
much  of  its  history.  They  knew  better  what  to  take  out; 
and  although  the  information  to  be  extracted  was  as  undefin- 
able  as  ever,  and  the  subject-matter  as  intricate,  the  note- 
taking  was  much  more  systematic  and  complete.  For  five 
years  our  minds  had  been  dv.-elling  on  these  things,  and  on 
little  else.  Our  whole  intellectual  being  had,  during  these 
years,  become  saturated  with  the  subject;  and  although  work 


3^4  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

was  now  to  be  taken  up  in  a  new  form,  and  conducted  on  a 
higher  plane,  and  brought  yet  nearer  to  perfect  completion 
than  any  before,  I  felt  adequate  to  the  task.  Three  or  five 
years  hence  I  might  or  might  not  have  as  good  men  in  the 
library.  Death  and  disagreements  are  inseparable  from 
humanity,  and  yet  of  the  latter  I  had  seldom  experienced 
one  in  connection  with  my  literary  labors.  I  believe  I  never 
have  had  a  serious  misunderstanding  with  any  one  of  my 
regular  assistants.  We  worked  together  as  friends,  side  by 
side,  as  in  one  common  interest.  This  central  part  of  my 
subject  I  regarded,  I  will  not  say  as  the  most  important  part, 
for  each  part  was  equally  important,  but  it  was  the  most 
difficult  part,  the  most  intricate  and  laborious  part,  and  with 
competent  and  trained  assistants  it  was  the  part  which  I  could 
most  thoroughly  perform,  and  most  perfectly  finish.  This 
was  to  be  the  crowning  effort  of  these  literary  achievements ; 
let  me  do  it,  I  said,  while  I  am  able. 

The  library  was  moved  to  Valencia  street  the  9th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1 88 1, and  type-setting  was  begun  on  the  history  the  fol- 
lowing day.  Although  opposed  in  this  removal  by  several 
of  my  friends,  I  persisted.  The  truth  is,  I  was  becoming 
fearful  lest  it  would  never  be  put  into  type ;  lest  I  should  not 
live  to  complete  the  work,  and  I  was  determined  to  do  what 
I  could  in  that  direction  while  life  lasted.  My  health  at  this 
time  was  weaker  than  ever  before,  and  my  nerves  were  by 
no  means  quieted  by  reading  one  day  an  article  on  the  busi- 
ness, submitted  to  me  by  Mr.  Hittell  for  his  Commerce  and 
Industries,  in  which  he  took  occasion  to  remark  of  my  literary 
undertakings :  "  The  scale  on  which  he  has  commenced  his 
work  is  so  comprehensive  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  will 
be  able  to  complete  it  even  if  he  should  reach  the  age  of 
three  score  and  ten,  with  continuous  prosperity  and  good 
health."  I  thereupon  resolved  to  complete  it,  to  postpone 
dying  until  this  work  was  done,  and  I  immediately  ordered  a 
dozen  compositors  to  be  put  upon  the  manuscript.  Matter 
equivalent  to  fifteen  volumes  was  then  in  manuscript,  and 


FURTHER   LIBRARY   DETAIL.  325 

three  fourths  of  the  work  on  the  remainder  had  been  accom- 
phshed  in  the  note-taking.  I  gave  out,  first,  volume  i.  Cen- 
tral America^  and  then  volume  i.  History  of  Mexico,  both  of 
which  had  been  written  long  years  before,  and  rewritten. 
Thereafter  I  gave  to  the  printers  whatever  part  of  the  work 
appeared  convenient,  so  that  they  frequently  had  several  vol- 
umes in  hand  at  one  time.  The  utmost  care  v/as  exercised 
in  revising,  re-writing,  comparing,  and  verifying,  as  the  work 
was  passed  to  press,  four  or  five  persons  devoting  their  time 
altogether  or  in  part  to  this  task. 

Further  than  this,  not  only  would  I  print,  but  I  would 
publish.  I  had  no  delicacy  now  in  placing  the  imprint  of 
the  firm  on  my  title-pages.  The  world  might  call  it  making 
merchandise  of  literature  if  they  chose :  I  knew  it  was  not, 
that  is  to  say,  in  a  mercenary  sense.  There  was  no  money  in 
my  books  to  the  business,  hence  the  business  did  not  specially 
want  them.  In  the  publication  of  several  extensive  vv'orks 
the  house  had  acquired  a  national  reputation,  and  I  was  con- 
vinced that  it  would  do  better  with  this  series  of  Pacific 
States  histories  than  any  other  firm.  So  I  engaged  Mr.  Na- 
than J.  Stone,  lately  of  Japan,  but  formerly  of  our  oa\ti  house, 
a  man  of  marked  ability,  of  much  experience  in  our  establish- 
ment and  elsewhere,  to  devote  himself  to  the  publication  and 
sale  of  my  books.  Transferring  to  him  the  business  con- 
nected therewith,  I  continued  writing  more  vigorously  if  pos- 
sible than  before.  I  requested  the  mayor  and  the  governor 
to  visit  the  library,  inspect  the  work,  and  then  give  me  a 
certificate,  expressing  their  belief  in  its  completion  as  then 
promised,  which  was  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  volumes  a 
year.  I  took  better  care  of  my  health  than  before,  deter- 
mined to  piece  out  my  life  to  cover  the  time  I  now  calculated 
would  be  required  to  finish  the  series.  Lastly  I  revised  my 
will  to  provide  the  necessary  funds,  and  appointed  literary 
executors,  so  that  my  several  books  should  be  completed 
and  published  even  in  the  event  of  my  death. 

Strange  infatuation,  past  the  comprehension  of  man! 
Of  what  avail  this  terrible  strain,  Avith  my  body  resolved  to 


326  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

dust  and  my  intellect  dissipated  in  air !  One  would  fancy  the 
prize  a  heavenly  dukedom  at  the  least ;  but  when  I  looked 
up  into  the  heavens  I  saw  no  dukedom  there.  For  all  that, 
I  would  abridge  my  life  by  twenty  years,  if  necessary,  to 
complete  the  work ;  why,  I  cannot  tell,  except  to  me  there 
is  something  extremely  fascinating  in  the  printing  of  a 
book.  The  metamorphosis  of  mind  into  manuscript,  and 
manuscript  into  permanent  print ;  the  incarnation  of  ideas, 
spreading  your  thoughts  first  upon  paper  and  then  transfixing 
them  by  the  aid  of  metal  on  the  printed  page,  where  through 
the  ages  they  may  remain,  possess  a  magic  beside  which  the 
subtleties  of  Albertus  Magnus  were  infantile.  In  former  days 
the  masses  of  mankind  clothed  with  mysterious  influence  the 
unseen  being  who  committed  his  thoughts  to  print.  And 
books  are  indeed  a  power;  even  the  most  ephemeral.  No 
book  ever  lived  in  vain ;  the  black  and  white  of  its  pages, 
its  paper  and  pasteboard,  may  pass  into  oblivion,  as  all  but 
the  sacred  few  which  spring  from  the  inspiration  of  genius 
do  and  should  do,  yet  the  soul  thereof  never  dies,  but  mul- 
tiplies itself  in  endless  transmigrations  to  the  end  of  time. 

After  printing  had  begun,  proof-reading  was  again  in  order. 
It  was  a  severe  tax ;  that  is,  in  the  way  it  was  done  at  the 
library.  When  the  proofs  came  from  the  printing-office,  where 
they  were  read  and  revised  by  an  expert  familiar  with  this 
work,  one  copy  was  given  to  me,  one  each  to  Nemos  and 
Oak,  who  verified  both  subject-matter  and  references,  com- 
paring them  with  original  authorities,  and  placing  the  cor- 
rections of  the  others  with  his  own  on  one  proof,  when  it 
was  returned  to  me.  One  of  the  staff  besides  myself  also 
read  the  corrected  proof  in  pages,  which  were  finally  revised 
by  the  chief  proof-reader  for  printers'  errors. 

Though  written  early,  the  History  of  California  was  not 
among  the  earliest  to  be  published,  except  for  the  first  volumes. 
Originally  I  thought  of  the  history  only  as  one  complete 
work,  the  volumes  to  be  written  and  published  in  chrono- 
logical order ;  but  later  it  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  too 


FURTHER    LIBRARY   DETAIL.  327 

great  a  sweep  of  territory,  climates  and  governments  too 
several  and  diverse,  for  me  arbitrarily  to  cement  them  in  one 
inseparable  narrative.  Many  persons  would  like  a  history 
of  one  or  more  of  the  countries,  but  would  not  care  for  them 
all.  Therefore  I  finally  concluded  to  write  and  number  the 
volumes  territorially,  and  yet  maintain  such  chronological 
order  as  I  was  able ;  that  is,  I  would  begin  with  Central 
America,  that  part  coming  first  in  order  of  time,  and  bring 
the  history  of  those  states  down  to  date,  numbering  the 
volumes  i.,  ii.,  and  in..  History  of  the  Pacific  States,  as  well 
as  I.,  II.,  and  in.,  History  of  Central  America.  The  Histoiy 
of  the  Pacific  States,  volume  iv.,  would  be  the  History  of 
Mexico,  volume  i.,  and  so  on;  and  the  works  might  then  be 
lettered  under  both  titles  and  the  purchaser  be  given  his 
choice  ;  or  he  might  prefer  to  include  the  Native  Races  and 
the  supplemental  volumes  under  the  yet  more  general  title 
of  Bajicroffs  Works.  Thus  would  simplicity  and  uniformity 
be  preserved,  and  purchasers  be  satisfied.  With  this  arrange- 
ment it  would  not  be  necessary  to  confine  the  order  of  pub- 
lication to  the  order  of  numbering,  as  the  volumes  might 
very  properly  appear  chronologically,  which  was,  indeed,  the 
more  natural  sequence ;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  were  so 
published. 

Thus  the  History  of  the  Pacific  States  would  comprise  a 
series  of  histories  each  complete  in  itself;  yet  the  whole  would 
be  one  complete  history,  each  in  the  requisite  number  of 
volumes:  viz.,  \hQ  History  of  Central  America  /  the  History 
of  Mexico ;  the  History  of  the  North  Mexican  States  and 
Texas  ;  the  History  of  Arizona  and  Neiu  Mexico;  the  History 
of  California  ;  the  History  of  Nevada,  Wyoming,  and  Colo- 
rado;  t\iQ  Histo?y  of  Utah;  the  History  of  the  Northwest 
Coast ;  the  History  of  Oregon ;  the  History  of  Washington, 
Idaho,  and  Montana  ;  the  History  of  British  Columbia ;  the 
History  of  Alaska.  The  plan  was  to  publish  three  or  four 
volumes  a  year,  to  be  issued  simultaneously  in  San  Francisco, 
New  York,  London,  and  Paris.  As  to  the  two  volumes  of 
North  Mexican   States,  I   should  have  preferred  to  include 


-    328  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

them  in  the  History  of  Mexico,  under  the  one  general  title. 
But  they  were  in  reality  a  separate  work,  given  more  in 
detail  than  the  southern  Mexican  states,  which  were  treated 
from  national  rather  than  from  local  points  of  view.  And 
this  for  several  reasons  :  they  were  newer,  so  to  speak,  more 
native,  less  subdued,  less  settled  and  cultivated,  the  Mexican 
frontier  being  always  toward  the  north,  and  not  toward  the 
west  as  in  the  United  States;  then  they  were  nearer  the 
United  States,  more  progressive  than  the  southern  Mexican 
states,  and  in  this  way  they  would  constitute  a  stepping-stone 
in  respect  of  detail,  both  to  the  nations  of  the  south  and  to 
the  states  of  the  north. 

Another  work  of  the  highest  importance  later  forced  itself 
upon  me,  and  took  its  place  among  my  labors  as  part  of  my 
history.  This  was  the  lives  of  those  who  had  made  the  his- 
tory, who  had  laid  the  foundations  of  empire  on  this  coast 
upon  which  future  generations  were  forever  to  build.  Thus 
far  a  narrative  proper  of  events  had  been  given,  while  those 
who  had  performed  this  marvellous  work  were  left  in  the 
background.  Every  one  felt  that  they  deserved  fuller  treat- 
ment, and  after  much  anxious  consideration  of  the  subject, 
there  was  evolved  in  my  mind  a  separate  section  of  the  history 
under  title  of  Chronicles  of  (he  Builders  of  the  Commonwealths, 
which  in  a  framework  of  history  and  industrial  record  gives 
to  biography  the  same  prominence  which  in  the  history 
proper  is  given  to  the  narrative  of  events. 

In  addition  to  the  history  were  the  supplemental  works, 
California  Pastoral,  California  Inter  Pocula,  Popular  Tri- 
bunals, Essays  and  Miscellany,  and  Literary  Industries,  all  of 
which  grew  out  of  the  work  on  the  history,  and  were  carried 
along  with  it.  The  first  two  consist  of  material  left  over  in 
writing  the  history,  the  one  of  California  under  missionary 
re'i:;ime,  and  the  other  of  California  during  the  flush  times,  too 
light  and  sketchy  for  exact  historical  narration,  and  yet  more 
readable  in  some  respects  than  the  history  itself  The  titles 
of  the  last  two  speak  for  themselves.     Of  the  third  I  shall 


FURTHER   LIBRARY   DETAIL.  329 

speak  further  presently.  I  need  not  go  into  detail  here  re- 
garding their  conception  and  production;  suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  subjects  all  came  to  mc  of  their  own  accord,  and  that 
I  wrought  them  out  without  aid  from  any  one,  there  being 
no  notes  to  be  taken  or  information  to  be  gathered  and 
sifted  further  than  what  I  was  able  to  accomplish  myself 
while  writing  the  history.  And  yet  I  should  not  say  this. 
Much  of  the  labor  on  these  volumes  was  performed  at  my 
home,  where  was  the  sweetest  and  most  sympathizing  assis- 
tant a  literary  drudge  ever  had,  constant  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  patient,  forbearing,  encouraging,  cheering.  Many  a 
long  day  she  has  labored  by  my  side,  reading  and  revising ; 
many  womanly  aspirations  she  has  silenced  in  order  to  devote 
her  fresh,  buoyant  life  to  what  she  ever  regarded  as  a  high 
and  noble  object.  God  grant  that  she  and  our  children  may 
long  live  to  gather  pleasant  fruits  from  these  Literary  Indus- 
tries, for  I  suspect  that  in  this  hope  lies  the  hidden  and 
secret  spring  that  moves  the  author  in  all  his  efforts. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

MY  METHOD  OF  WRITING  HISTORY. 

There  is  a  class  of  authors  different  from  those  who  cringe  to  preva- 
lent tastes,  and  pander  to  degrading  passions;  men  whom  neither  power 
can  intimidate,  nor  flattery  deceive,  nor  wealth  corrupt. —  Whipple. 

HEGEL  says  of  the  Germans :  "  Instead  of  writing  history, 
we  are  always  beating  our  brains  to  discover  how  his- 
tory ought  to  be  written."  Nor  is  brain-beating  fruitless. 
Better  never  write  a  word  of  history,  or  anything  else,  unless 
it  be  of  the  best. 

My  system  of  historical  work  requires  a  few  words  of  ex- 
planation, since  not  a  little  of  the  criticism,  both  favorable 
and  unfavorable,  has  been  founded  on  an  erroneous  concep- 
tion of  its  nature. 

In  order  to  comprehend  clearly  the  error  alluded  to,  it  is 
well  to  note  that  the  composition  of  an  historical  work  in- 
volves labor  of  a  twofold  nature,  the  dividing  line  being  very 
clearly  marked.  Material  in  the  nature  of  evidence  has  first 
to  be  accumulated  and  classified ;  subsequently  from  the  evi- 
dence judgments  have  to  be  formed  and  expressed. 

The  two  divisions  might  of  course  be  still  further  sub- 
divided, but  such  subdivision  is  not  needed  for  my  present 
purpose.  My  system — if  it  be  worthy  to  be  termed  a  system 
distinct  from  others — of  which  I  have  in  my  different  works 
had  somewhat  to  say,  and  others  have  said  still  more/has 
no  application  whatever  to  the  second  and  final  operation  of 
an  historian's  task.  Every  author  aims  to  collect  all  possible 
evidence  on  the  topic  to  be  treated,  and  lie  accomplishes  his 
purpose  by  widely  different  methods,  of  which  more  anon ; 
but  having  once  accomplished  that  primary  object,  in  his 

33° 


MY    METHOD    OF   WRITING    HISTORY.  33 1 

later  work  of  mind  and  pen  there  is  little  that  is  tangible 
in  his  process  as  distinguished  from  that  of  another.  He 
studies  the  evidence  profoundly  or  superficially,  according  to 
his  habit  of  study ;  forms  his  opinions  more  or  less  wisely, 
according  to  the  strength  of  his  judgment;  and  expresses  them 
in  language  diffuse  or  concise,  forcible  and  graceful,  or  com- 
monplace and  awkward,  according  to  his  natural  or  acquired 
style. 

The  yhilosopher,  learned  in  mental  phenomena,  may  clas- 
sify to  his  own  satisfaction  the  minds  and  mind- workings  of 
authors ;  the  literary  critic  may  form  comparisons  and  broad 
generalizations  upon  style.  There  are  as  many  variations  in 
thoughts  as  there  are  in  men,  in  style  as  there  are  in  writers ; 
but  in  this  part  of  my  work  I  have  no  peculiar  system  or 
method,  and  I  suppose  that  other  authors  have  none. 

My  system,  then,  applies  only  to  the  accumulation  and 
arrangement  of  evidence  upon  the  topics  of  which  I  write, 
and  consists  in  the  application  of  business  methods  and  the 
division  of  labor  to  those  ends.  By  its  aid  I  have  attempted 
to  accomplish  in  one  year  what  would  require  ten  years  by 
ordinary  methods ;  or  on  a'  complicated  and  extensive  sub- 
ject to  collect  practically  all  the  evidence,  when  by  ordinary 
methods  a  lifetime  of  toil  would  yield  only  a  part. 

To  illustrate :  Let  us  suppose  an  industrious  author,  de- 
termined to  write  the  history  of  California,  at  the  start  wholly 
ignorant  of  his  subject.  He  easily  learns  of  a  few  works  on 
California,  and  having  purchased  them  studies  their  contents, 
making  notes  to  aid  his  memory.  His  reading  directs  him 
to  other  titles,  and  he  seeks  the  corresponding  books  in  the 
libraries,  pubHc  and  private,  of  the  city  where  he  resides. 
His  search  of  the  shelves  and  catalogues  of  the  various 
libraries  reveals  many  volumes  of  whose  existence  he  had  not 
dreamed  at  first;  but  yet  he  continues  his  reading  and  his 
notes. 

His  work,  even  if  he  devotes  his  whole  attention  to  it  and 
resides  in  San  Francisco,  has  at  this  stage  occupied  several 
years,  and  the  author  just  begins  to  realize  how  very  many 


332  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

books  have  been  printed  about  California.  His  reading, 
perhaps,  has  covered  two  hundred  and  fifty  books,  and  he 
has  accumulated  the  titles  in  different  languages  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  more  not  to  be  had  in  San  Francisco,  He 
makes  an  effort  to  secure  some  of  those  that  seem  most 
important ;  he  induces  friends  at  a  distance  to  send  him  notes 
from  others;  if  possible  he  travels  in  Mexico  and  Europe, 
and  thus  actually  consults  many  of  the  missing  tomes.  But 
in  the  mean  time  he  has  probably  learned,  through  catalogues 
and  bibliographical  lists,  that  five  hundred  more  works  have 
been  printed  on  his  subject,  even  if  he  does  not  yet  suspect 
the  truth  that  besides  the  one  thousand  there  are  yet  at  least 
another  thousand  in  existence.  He  now  gives  up  his  original 
idea  of  exhausting  the  subject,  understands  that  it  would  be 
impossible  in  a  lifetime,  and  comforts  his  conscience  and 
pride  with  the  reflection  that  he  has  done  much,  and  that 
many  of  the  Avorks  he  has  not  seen,  like  many  of  those  he 
has,  are  probably  of  very  slight  historic  value ;  indeed,  it  is 
most  likely  that  long  ere  this  he  has  allowed  himself  to  glance 
superficially  at  some  ponderous  tome  or  large  collection  of 
miscellaneous  pamphlets,  almost  persuading  himself  that  they 
contain  nothing  for  him.  There  are  ten  chances  to  one  that 
he  has  not  looked  at  one  volume  in  twenty  of  the  myriads  of 
the  United  States  government  reports,  though  there  is  hardly 
one  which  does  not  contain  something  about  California.  It 
has  never  occurred  to  him  seriously  to  explore  the  countless 
court  records  and  legal  briefs,  so  rich  in  historical  data.  He 
knows  that  newspapers  contain  valuable  matter ;  he  has  even 
examined  a  partial  file  of  the  Ca/(fonnau,  and  some  early 
numbers  of  the  A/^a  or  Sacramento  Union,  but  being  a  sane 
man  he  has  never  dreamed  of  an  attack  on  the  two  hundred 
files  of  California  newspapers  even  could  he  find  them.  He 
knows  that  each  of  these  fields  of  research  Avould  require  the 
labor  of  several  years,  and  that  all  of  them  would  fill  the 
better  part  of  his  life  with  drudgery. 

Another  trackless  wilderness  of  information  now  opens 
before  him.     Our  author  has  before  this  realized  that  there 


MY    METHOD   OF   WRITING    HISTORY.  333 

are  sources  of  history  other  than  those  found  in  printed 
matter.  He  is  surrounded  by  early  settlers,  whose  combined 
recollections  are  the  country's  history  in  the  main;  he  has 
talked  with  several  of  them,  and  obtained  a  few  choice 
anecdotes  and  reminiscences  to  be  utilized  in  his  book ;  he 
has  no  time  to  obtain  the  statements  of  many,  and  does  not 
attempt  it.  He  is  aware  of  the  desirability  of  original  manu- 
script authorities;  he  eagerly  deciphers  a  musty  document 
procured  by  a  friend  avIio  knows  of  his  investigations ;  is 
delighted  at  the  discovery  of  a  small  package  of  old  papers 
at  some  mission,  mysteriously  handed  out  by  the  parish  priest 
to  furnish  choice  extracts  for  the  author's  note-book ;  handles 
gingerly  the  limited  archives  of  Santa  Cruz ;  obtains  from 
the  United  States  surveyor-general's  office  translations  of  a 
few  documentary  curiosities;  tries  to  flatter  himself  that  he 
has  studied  the  archives  of  Cahfornia,  and  is  a  happy  man 
if  he  escapes  being  haunted  by  the  four  hundred  huge  folio 
volumes  of  manuscripts  containing  the  very  essence  of  the 
annals  he  seeks  to  write,  yet  which  he  knows  he  could  not 
master  in  fifteen  years  of  hard  work.  Perhaps  he  escapes  the 
vision  of  the  papers  scattered  over  the  state  in  private  hands, 
enough  to  make  up  other  hundreds  of  similar  tomes. 

He  now  realizes  yet  more  fully  the  utter  impossibility  of 
exhausting  the  material ;  feels  that  the  work  he  set  himself 
to  do  has  but  fairly  commenced,  and  can  never  be  completed. 
Of  course  he  does  not  feel  called  upon  to  make  known  to  the 
public  his  comparative  failure ;  on  the  contrary,  he  makes 
the  most  of  his  authorities.  His  notes  are  brought  out  and 
arranged ;  he  has  before  him  the  testimony  of  several  good 
witnesses  on  most  of  the  prominent  points  of  his  subject; 
he  has  devoted  twenty-five  years  of  industrious  research  to 
his  v/ork;  the  book  is  finished  and  justly  praised. 

This  writer,  whose  investigations  I  have  thus  followed,  is 
one  of  a  thousand,  with  whom  most  of  the  men  who  have  ac- 
tually written  so-called  histories  of  many  nations  and  epochs 
are  not  worthy  of  comparison.  He  failed  simply  because  he 
attempted  the  impossible. 


334  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Now  the  reader  will  permit  me  to  trace  my  own  course 
through  a  similar  routine  of  investigation,  pursued,  however, 
by  different  methods.  Like  my  imaginary  friend,  I  was  de- 
termined to  write  the  history  of  California,  and  had  almost 
as  vague  an  idea  as  he  of  the  task  assumed.  He  purchased 
some  books  as  tools  with  which  to  work,  selecting  such  as 
were  known  to  bear  on  his  subject;  I  began  ten  years  before 
I  was  ready  to  write,  and  bought  through  agents  in  all  parts 
of  the  world  every  book  that  could  be  had  concerning 
the  Pacific  States,  thus  obtaining  twenty  thousand  volumes, 
sure  to  include,  as  I  thought,  all  e>dsting  material  about 
California.  To  search  among  my  twenty  thousand  for  two 
thousand  on  California  was  a  less  formidable  undertaking 
than  for  him  to  search  the  shelves  of  different  libraries  and 
catalogues  for  his  five  hundred  volumes ;  but  it  was  too  slow 
for  my  purposes,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  men  were  employed 
to  index  the  whole  and  furnish  me  a  list  of  California  mate- 
rial with  reference  to  volume  and  page.  My  imaginary  au- 
thor plods  industriously  through  each  work  as  he  finds  it, 
making  careful  notes  of  such  matter  as  he  deems  of  value, 
while  I  put  ten  men  at  work,  each  as  capable  for  this  kind 
of  labor  as  he  or  I,  to  extract  everything  under  its  proper 
heading.  Like  him,  I  am  more  and  more  astonished  at  the 
apparently  never  ending  mass  of  material  encountered,  but  I 
can  see  my  way  through  it  if  only  the  treasury  department 
sustains  me.  So  I  tunnel  the  mountain  of  court  records  and 
legal  briefs,  bridge  the  marsh  of  United  States  government 
documents,  and  stationing  myself  at  a  safe  distance  in  the 
rear,  hurl  my  forces  against  the  solid  columns  of  two  hundred 
files  of  California  newspapers. 

Like  him,  I  see  about  me  many  living  witnesses,  and  from 
several  hundreds  of  them  obtain,  by  aid  of  stenographers,  as 
well  as  reporters,  detailed  statements  respecting  early  times. 
I  more  than  suspect  the  existence  of  important  papers  scat- 
tered in  private  hands,  and  proceed  to  buy,  borrow,  and  beg, 
until  the  product  fills  a  hundred  volumes.  The  six  hundred 
bulky  tomes  of  public  and  mission  archives  rise  up  before  me, 


MY    METHOD    OF   WRITING    HISTORY.  335 

but  there  is  no  such  thing  as  retreat  at  this  point  of  pro- 
cedure ;  I  have  no  fifteen  years  to  spend  in  plodding  through 
this  pathless  waste,  but  fifteen  searchers  reduce  the  time  to 
one  year,  and  the  archives  are  transferred  to  my  library. 
Meanwhile  my  note-takers  continue  their  labors ;  each  vol- 
ume, pamphlet,  manuscript,  and  newspaper  is  made  to  give 
up  its  evidence,  little  or  much,  on  one  point  or  many,  and 
nothing  is  omitted  or  slighted. 

At  last  the  preparatory  work  is  ended,  and  the  evidence  on 
each  specific  point  is  laid  before  me,  as  my  friend  had  his 
before  him,  but  with  this  difference :  I  have  practically  all 
where  he  had  only  part — he  hardly  realized,  perhaps,  how 
small  a  part.  He  had  two  or  three  witnesses  whose  testi- 
mony he  had  selected  as  essential  on  a  certain  topic ;  I  have 
a  hundred  whose  evidence  is  more  or  less  relevant.  From 
this  point  our  progress  lies  practically  in  the  same  path,  and 
the  race  is  well-nigh  run.  Had  he  the  same  data  as  I,  his 
results  would  be  superior  to  mine  if  he  w-ere  my  superior  as 
a  thinker  and  as  a  writer.  Our  respective  methods  and 
systems  have  little  or  no  influence  in  the  matter,  save  per- 
haps that  in  my  experience  with  many  assistants  I  have 
been  able  to  select  a  few  to  whom  I  can  intrust  the  prepara- 
tion of  systematized  notes  on  special  topics,  and  thus  still 
further  to  shorten  my  labors. 

My  work  at  last  completed,  I  have  been  able  to  accom- 
plish thoroughly  in  fifteen  years  what  my  friend,  quite  as 
zealous,  industrious,  and  able  as  myself,  has  done  superficially 
in  twenty-five  years,  and  what  he  could  not  have  done  as 
thoroughly  as  myself  in  half  a  dozen  lifetimes.  And  yet  our 
respective  methods  differ  after  all  in  degree  rather  than  in 
kind.  I  have  done  scarcely  anything  that  he  has  not  at- 
tempted. He  has  purchased  books,  studied  books,  handled 
newspapers,  deciphered  manuscripts,  and  questioned  pioneers; 
I  have  simply  done  twenty  times  as  much  as  he  in  each  of  these 
directions,  much  more  easily  and  in  much  less  time. 

I  come  now  to  consider  the  relative  merits  of  the  two 
methods,  the  desirability  of  applying  business  methods  and 


336  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

division  of  labor  to  historical  and  scientific  research.  The 
advantages  and  the  disadvantages,  if  any  such  there  be,  of  such 
application  should  here  be  noted.  I  claim  that  mine  is  the 
only  method  by  which  all  the  evidence  on  a  great  subject  or 
on  many  smaller  subjects  can  be  brought  out.  Without  it 
the  author  must  confine  himself  to  limited  topics  or  do  his  work 
superficially.  To  thus  limiting  himself  there  is  no  objection, 
as  there  can  be  none  that  I  know  of  to  the  more  ambitious 
plan  of  engaging  help  and  doing  more  and  better  work.  I 
can  conceive  of  no  case  where  it  is  not  desirable  for  an  in- 
vestigator to  have  before  him  all  the  evidence;  though  I 
have  had  some  experience  with  critics  who  revere  as  an  his- 
torian the  man  who  writes  from  a  study  of  twenty  books 
giving  patronizing  credit  to  their  authors,  and  more  lightly 
esteem  him  who  studies  a  thousand  works,  and  chooses  in  his 
notes  to  leave  standing  the  ladder  by  which  he  mounted.  I 
have  also  met  critics  who  apparently  could  not  comprehend 
that  a  writer  who  refers  to  one  thousand  authorities  does  not 
necessarily  use  them  mechanically,  or  allow  a  numerical 
majority  to  decide  each  point  rather  than  internal  evidence. 
But  these  objections  serve  only  to  show  in  a  clearer  light 
their  own  absurdity. 

An  industrious  author  may  in  a  reasonable  time  collect 
data  and  properly  record  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Modoc  tribe,  the  annals  of  Grass  Valley,  or  the  events  of 
the  Bear  Flag  revolution ;  and  for  the  man  who  thus  honestly 
toils  to  increase  the  store  of  human  knowledge  I  have  the 
greatest  respect.  But  such  a  man  could  not  by  ordinary 
methods  write  anything  like  a  complete  work  on  the  aborig- 
ines of  America,  or  even  of  California,  or  on  the  history  of 
the  Pacific  States ;  and  for  the  man  who  from  an  acquaintance 
with  Iroquois  manners  and  customs,  with  the  reading  of  a 
few  books  on  the  North  American  aborigines,  proceeds 
learnedly  on  the  institutions  and  history  of  every  tribe  and 
nation  from  Alaska  to  Cape  Horn,  from  the  Crow  reservation 
in  1875  ^^ck  to  the  dwellers  of  the  prehistoric  Xibalba — for 
such  a  man  I  have  not  very  much  admiration  to  spare,  even 


MY    METHOD    OF   WRITING    HISTORY.  337 

if  some  of  his  theories  are  plausible  and  ingeniously  and  elo- 
quently supported.  Neither  am  I  overburdened  with  respect 
for  the  soi-disant  historians  of  California  who  can  in  the 
leisure  hours  of  a  few  years  and  within  the  limits  of  five  hun- 
dred pages  record  all  that  is  worth  knowing  of  the  annals 
of  our  state;  who  before  1846  see  nothing  but  the  acts  of  a 
few  padres  and  '  gi'easers,'  of  which  nobody  cares  to  hear ; 
who  glance  vaguely  and  superficially  at  a  few  of  the  many 
phases  of  the  subject  they  profess  to  treat. 

The  great  advantage  claimed  for  my  system  of  literary 
work  is,  then,  that  it  renders  possible  results  otherwise  un- 
attainable. I  deem  it  desirable  that  the  iQ.\i  to  whom  nature 
has  given  the  capacity  to  derive  their 'greatest  enjoyment  from 
the  hard  toil  of  literary  and  scientific  research  should  be 
enabled  to  embrace  in  their  efforts  the  broadest  fields  and 
accomplish  the  greatest  results. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  system  of  research  involves  a  great 
pecuniary  outlay.  But  this  is  a  disadvantage  which  aftects 
only  the  author,  and  not  his  work,  nor  the  appreciation  of 
his  readers.  The  same  reply  might  be  made  as  to  the  ob- 
jection that  assistants  cannot  be  found  who  will  toil  as  care- 
fully and  zealously  as  the  employer;  this  is  to  a  certain 
extent  well  taken,  and  I  admit  that  on  a  limited  subject 
which  can  be  really  mastered  within  a  period,  say,  of  five 
years,  one  man  will  produce  better  work  than  several,  al- 
though experience  has  taught  me  that  the  application  of 
varied  talent,  no  two  men  treading  in  the  same  path,  is  not 
without  its  advantages.  I  have  always  encouraged  among 
my  assistants  a  free  expression  of  their  own  ideas,  and  have 
derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  frequent  conversations  and 
discussions  with  them  on  special  topics.  In  long  and  com- 
plicated subjects  to  which  my  method  is  applicable,  and 
which  cannot  be  successfully  treated  by  any  other,  I  am  in- 
clined to  regard  the  division  of  labor  as  an  advantage  in 
itself.  I  question  if  the  mind  which  can  plod  for  a  long 
series  of  years  through  the  necessary  preliminary  work  is  the 
mind  properly  constituted  for  the  best  use  of  the  material 


338  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

acquired ;  or  whether  the  best  abihty  is  not  injured  by  long 
drudgery. 

The  primary  endeavor  in  all  my  historical  writings  has 
been  to  exhaust  the  subject,  but  presenting  it  always  in  as 
condensed  a  form  as  possible.  In  the  text  is  given  the  infor- 
mation complete,  the  full  narrative  in  the  fewest  words. 

It  was  ever  my  aim  to  tell  the  story  clearly  and  concisely, 
taking  a  common-sense  practical  view  of  things,  and  arrang- 
ing them  in  natural  sequence,  giving  an  episode  as  much 
as  possible  in  one  place,  even  though  in  its  relation  to  other 
episodes  it  overlapped  a  little.  Analysis  of  character,  as  ap- 
plied to  leading  personages,  I  endeavored  to  make  a  feature, 
giving,  with  physical  description,  bent  of  mind  and  natural 
and  acquired  abilities.  In  cases  where  characteristics  Vv-ere 
not  directly  specified  they  might  be  arrived  at  from  the  acts 
of  the  individual.  A  little  colloquy  was  deemed  not  ineffec- 
tive when  short,  terse,  and  in  language  appropriate  to  the 
persons  and  the  time.  A  short  story,  pointedly  given,  is 
effective  to  enUven  the  text,  but  it  must  not  be  carelessly 
done.  The  notes  were  for  reference  to  authorities,  for  proof, 
elucidation,  discussion,  illustration,  balancing  of  evidence, 
and  for  second-class  information.  To  this  end  quotations 
from  authorides  were  deemed  in  order,  not  as  repedtions,  but 
as  presenting  the  subject  in  its  several  shades  and  opposite 
positions.  Though  not  illustrated,  maps  and  plans  were  in- 
serted in  bodi  text  and  notes  wherever  needed.  In  regard 
to  bibliography,  it  was  my  aim  to  give  every  important  book 
and  manuscript  formal  notice  in  the  most  suitable  place ;  the 
title  to  be  given  in  full  and  in  italic  characters.  The  contents 
of  the  work  were  then  briefly  epitomized,  after  which  a  criti- 
cism and  a  biographical  notice  of  the  author  were  given.  The 
biographies  of  leading  historical  characters  were  of  course  pre- 
sented in  the  text,  these  of  themselves  constituting  history ; 
thougli  for  want  of  space  some  may  have  been  crowded  into 
notes,  where  also  were  given  those  of  the  pioneers. 

Between  the  old  method  and  the  new  there  is  about  the 
same  difference  tliat  would  arise  in  any  undertaking  by  a 


MY   METHOD    OF  WRITING    HISTORY.  339 

practical  man  of  business  and  by  one  who  was  purely  a 
philosopher  or  student.  Elsewhere  in  this  volume  I  have 
drawn  certain  comparisons  between  the  industrial  life  and 
the  intellectual  life.  I  desire  here  to  speak  more  particularly 
of  the  effects  of  a  business  and  a  collegiate  course  on  literary 
labors,  the  difference  produced  by  these  two  species  of  train- 
ing, and  the  effects  upon  my  historical  efforts  of  my  former 
business  experience. 

In  business  and  literature,  while  there  is  much  in  harmony 
there  is  also  much  that  is  directly  antagonistic.  Some  of  the 
elements  essential  to  success  are  alike  in  both,  but  the  train- 
ing suitable  for  one  is  not  the  best  for  the  other.  There  are 
certain  qualities  equally  beneficial  in  both.  Honesty,  intelli- 
gence, application,  and  the  like  are  as  valuable  to  the  pro- 
fessional man  as  to  the  business  man,  and  not  more  so ;  just 
as  blood,  endurance,  reliability,  are  as  valuable  qualities  in 
the  draught-horse  as  in  the  race-horse;  the  training,  how- 
ever, would  be  quite  different  in  the  two  cases.  Obviously 
the  course  pursued  in  fitting  a  horse  for  the  turf  unfits  the 
animal  for  the  cart. 

I  never  imagined  the  difference  between  the  effects  of  a 
college  and  business  training  to  be  so  pronounced  in  the 
training  of  young  men  destined  to  their  different  pursuits 
until  I  was  brought  into  immediate  and  daily  contact  with 
two  distinct  sets  of  assistants,  directing  both,  and  part  of  the 
time  under  the  same  roof.  The  business  I  had  planted ;  all 
its  growth  and  branchings  I  had  directed,  engaging  and 
overseeing  all  those  employed  in  it.  This  represented  one 
part  of  me,  and  of  my  life.  My  literary  work  I  had  con- 
ceived, planned,  and  was  then  performing,  with  the  full 
direction  of  every  one  engaged  in  it.  This  represented  an- 
other part  of  me,  of  my  nature,  my  aspirations,  and  my  life. 

A  young  man  or  an  old  man  applies  to  me  for  a  situation. 
He  may  be  suitable  for  the  business  and  ijot  for  the  library ; 
nay,  if  he  is  specially  fitted  for  one  he  is  probably  not  suitable 
for  the  other.  My  first  questions  are  :  What  did  you  last  ? 
What  have  you  been  doing  all  your  life?  What  are  your 
aspirations  ? 


340  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

If  the  applicant's  time  hitherto  has  been  spent  as  salesman 
or  book-keeper  in  a  mercantile  or  manufacturing  establish- 
ment ;  if  his  mind  be  of  the  color  of  money,  and  his  chief 
desires  and  tastes  lie  in  the  direction  of  buying,  and  selling, 
and  getting  gain,  he  is  worth  nothing  to  me  in  the  library. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  he  be  scholarly  in  his  tastes,  of  medi- 
tative, intellectual  habits,  careless  of  money,  preferring  the 
merchandise  of  mind  to  the  accumulations  of  the  warehouse ; 
if  he  be  sensitive,  diffident,  and  retiring,  inexperienced  in 
business,  v/ith  parents  and  friends  intellectually  inclined,  hav- 
ing spent  his  whole  life  at  study,  having  acquired  a  good  col- 
legiate education,  and  being  still  ambitious  to  acquire  more, 
I  should  never  think  of  placing  such  a  man  in  the  bustle  of 
business.  It  would  be  no  less  distasteful  to  him  than  un- 
profitable to  both  of  us. 

The  youth's  training  and  experience  while  in  a  store  are 
invaluable  to  him  if  he  means  to  become  a  merchant.  It  is 
time  lost,  and  often  worse  than  lost,  if  the  intellectual  life  be 
his  future  field.  The  activities  of  business  call  into  play  such 
totally  different  qualities  of  mind,  drawing  it  from  its  content 
in  quiet,  thoughtful  study,  and  stirring  it  to  the  strife  and 
passion  of  acquisition,  that  it  is  in  some  respects,  but  not  in 
all,  a  positive  detriment  to  intellectual  pursuits.  On  the  other 
hand,  study  and  the  thoughtful  investigation  which  should 
follow  it  are  too  apt  to  engender  sensitive,  sedentary  habits 
and  a  distaste  for  the  activities  of  business.  As  Herbert 
Spencer  puts  it :  "  Faculty  of  every  kind  tends  always  to 
adjust  itself  to  its  work.  Special  adjustment  to  one  kind  of 
work  involves  more  or  less  non-adjustment  to  other  kinds." 

In  my  own  case,  however,  beginning  with  literature  late  in 
life  and  studying  after  my  own  peculiar  method,  I  found 
my  business  experience  of  the  greatest  advantage.  Before  I 
had  been  engaged  in  my  historical  labors  for  five  years  I 
found  my  new  work  broadly  planned  and  fairly  systematized. 
Accustomed  to  utilize  the  labors  of  others,  I  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  directing  a  small  army  of  workers  here.  I  found, 
fastened  upon  me  as  part  of  my  nature,  habits  of  application 


MY    METHOD    OF   WRITING    HISTORY.  341 

and  perseverance  from  which  I  could  not  tear  myself  if  I 
would.  I  was,  so  to  speak,  wound  up  to  work,  and  so  wound 
that  the  running  down  should  be  with  the  last  tick  of  time. 

Moreover,  I  found  myself  as  free  as  might  be  from  preju- 
dices, though  this,  I  believe,  is  the  opinion  of  the  wildest 
fanaticism  concerning  itself;  free  from  sectarianism  and  party 
bias,  and  from  the  whole  catalogue  of  isms,  some  of  which 
are  apt  to  fasten  themselves  on  immature  minds  and  there 
remain  through  life.  I  found  myself  with  no  cause  to  battle 
for,  no  preconceived  rights  to  vindicate  or  wrongs  to  avenge, 
no  so-called  belief  to  establish,  no  special  politics  to  plead. 
I  had  no  aim  or  interest  to  present  aught  but  the  truth;  and 
I  cared  little  what  truth  should  prove  to  be  when  found,  or 
whether  it  agreed  v/ith  my  conceptions  of  what  it  was  or 
ought  to  be.  I  would  as  willingly  have  found  the  moon  in 
the  bottom  of  the  well,  were  it  really  there,  as  in  the  heavens, 
where  we  have  always  supposed  it  to  be.  It  was  as  though 
I  had  been  bom  into  the  world  of  letters  a  full-grown  man. 

He  who  accumulates  facts  seldom  generalizes  them,  because 
no  one  man  has  the  time  and  the  ability  to  do  both  to  any 
great  extent.  Herbert  Spencer  could  have  made  little  prog- 
ress weaving  his  vast  and  sparkling  theories  had  he  not  pos- 
sessed a  good  store  of  raw  material  before  he  began  them. 
Then  again,  general  speculations  spring  from  habits  of 
thought  different  from  those  that  regulate  the  mind-machinery 
of  scientific  specialists.  Yet  the  spirit  of  business  activity 
may  be  infused  into  the  meditations  of  mind.  The  ethics  of 
commerce  are  not  fully  appreciated  by  the  student  of  litera- 
ture, of  law,  of  divinity.  There  are  in  the  commercial  life 
more  influences  at  work  to  form  habit,  character,  opinion, 
than  in  almost  any  other  sphere  of  action.  In  looking  back 
upon  the  past  the  success  of  my  historical  undertakings  de- 
pended no  less  on  business  experience  than  on  such  literary 
ability  as  I  might  possess. 

A  word  with  regard  to  retiring  from  business.  It  is  well 
enough  understood  at  this  day  that  he  who  suddenly  ex- 


342  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

changes  life-long,  active  occupation  for  idle,  indolent  leisure 
seldom  finds  satisfaction  therein.  It  is  only  the  constitution- 
ally lazy  man,  he  who  has  never  done  anything,  that  enjoys 
doing  nothing.  If  the  commercial  man  has  a  cultivated 
intellect,  he  has  an  unfailing  resource  within  himself.  But 
this  is  not  often  the  case :  a  man  of  refined  and  cultivated 
literary  tastes  is  seldom  a  great  commercial  man.  "  The  ten- 
dency of  modern  business  life,"  says  Doctor  Beard,  "  for  one 
who  succeeds  in  it,  is  to  repress  whatever  of  poetry,  or  science, 
or  art  there  may  be  in  the  brain."  Yet  absolute  retirement 
from  an  active  and  successful  business  life  which  he  loves, 
even  to  a  purely  intellectual  life  which  he  loves  better,  may 
not  be  always  the  best  a  man  can  do.  The  strains  of  study 
and  writing  are  so  severe  upon  the  nerves  that  at  times 
business  may  be  recreation  —  that  is,  if  the  business  is  well 
systematized  and  successful,  with  plenty  to  do,  with  plenty  of 
capital,  and  without  haste,  anxiety,  or  worry. 

At  all  events  I  never  could  wholly  retire  from  business, 
although  at  times  its  duties  were  extremely  distasteful  and  its 
cares  crushing.  Some  of  the  happiest  associations,  some  of 
the  warmest  friendships,  have  sprung  from  my  commercial 
life;  and  they  never  left  me,  but  ripened  into  sweeter  fra- 
grance as  age  crept  on  apace.  Kenny,  Colley,  Borland,  and 
my  nephew  Will,  Welch  and  Mitchell,  Maison  and  Peterson, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  little  army  I  used  to  general  with  such 
satisfaction,  not  only  were  you  diligent  and  loyal  to  the 
business,  but  you  were  among  those  I  was  ever  proud  to  call 
my  friends!  In  the  midst  of  the  severest  literary  labors,  as 
I  have  before  mentioned,  I  have  voluntarily  taken  sole  charge 
of  the  business  when  it  was  largest  and  most  intricate,  for 
months  and  years  at  a  time,  increasing  its  capabilities  and 
profits  with  as  little  effort  as  that  employed  by  the  skillful 
engineer  in  adding  to  the  force  of  his  machinery  ;  and  I 
believe  I  derived  only  pleasure  and  benefit  from  it.  It  was 
a  relief  to  my  tired  brain  to  step  from  the  library  to  the  office 
and  in  a  few  moments  shape  the  next  month's  affairs;  it  was 
a  relief  to  fingers  stiff  from  writing  history  to  sign  checks 


MY    METHOD    OF    WRITING    HISTORY.  343 

awhile.  Nor  is  this  any  contradiction  to  what  I  earher  re- 
marked about  interruptions  when  deep  in  literary  labors.  A 
man  can  do  much  if  left  to  do  it  his  own  way. 

To  return  to  our  subject.  Besides  the  regular  subject-mat- 
ter or  historical  notes,  which  were  largely  taken  out  by  my 
assistants,  there  was  another  class  of  notes,  allusory  and  illus- 
trative, which  I  was  obliged  to  take  out  for  myself,  in  order 
to  obtain  satisfactory  material  for  use.  I  have  found  these 
notes  exceedingly  serviceable.  They  were  made  during  oc- 
casional general  readings  of  from  a  week  to  three  months  in 
duration.  So  long  as  I  could  write  steadily  I  had  neither 
time  nor  taste  for  miscellaneous  reading ;  but  feeling  that  a 
writer  could  never  have  too  much  familiarity  with  history 
and  classical  literature,  whenever  I  could  do  nothing  else 
I  read  vigorously  in  that  direction,  taking  notes  and  record- 
ing my  own  ideas.  The  substantial  facts  of  history  are  fixed 
and  determined.  When  the  object  is  to  present  them  all 
as  they  are,  without  theoretical  bias  or  class  prejudice,  with 
no  desire  to  elevate  this  person,  sect,  or  party,  or  to  hu- 
miliate or  debase  another,  there  is  something  about  the 
work  definite,  tangible,  and  common  to  all  minds.  But  notes 
for  purposes  of  proof,  illustration,  or  garnishment,  such  as 
Buckle  presents  in  his  Commonplace  Book  —  though  there 
indeed  are  notes  of  every  class  indiscriminately  thrown  to- 
gether—  must  be  abstracted  by  the  person  using  them,  as  no 
two  minds  think  exactly  in  the  same  channel ;  nor  would  one 
person  undertaking  to  use  notes  of  this  kind  made  by  another 
be  able  even  to  understand  in  many  instances  their  signifi- 
cance or  relevancy. 

With  the  notes  for  a  volume  all  arranged,  and  the  plan  of 
the  work  clearly  defined  in  my  mind,  the  writing  was  com- 
paratively rapid.  While  the  writing  was  actually  in  progress 
I  avoided  as  much  as  possible  all  outside  reading. 

But  at  the  completion  of  every  one  or  two  of  my  written 
volumes,  I  ran  through  some  fifty  or  a  hundred  books  which 
I  had  laid  aside  to  read  as  my  eye  had  fallen  upon  them  from 


344  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

time  to  time,  taking  notes  and  memoranda  applicable  both 
to  what  I  had  written  and  to  what  I  had  yet  to  write.  Jean 
Paul  Richter  was  exceedingly  careful  to  preserve  all  his 
thoughts.  "  He  was  as  thought-thrifty  and  thought-storing," 
says  one,  "  as  he  was  thought- wealthy."  Had  the  time  been 
at  my  disposal  I  should  have  been  a  great  devourer  of  books, 
for  I  scarcely  ever  could  pass  a  book  without  looking  at  it,  or 
look  at  a  book  without  wanting  to  read  it. 

"  I  have  long  had  it  in  my  mind  to  speak  to  you  upon  the 
subject  of  which  this  letter  treats,"  writes  Mr.  Harcourt  to 
me  the  4th  of  April,  1877,  at  White  Sulphur  springs.  "You 
have  made  literature  your  profession,  and  have  already  at- 
tained a  position  in  the  world  of  letters  which  the  vast 
majority  of  those  who  have  grown  gray-headed  and  worm- 
eaten  in  the  cause  have  failed  to  reach.  This  notable  success 
is  partly  owing  to  the  wise  and  far-sighted  system  you  have 
adopted  of  leaving  to  others  the  drudgery  that  is  inseparable 
from  literary  labor,  and  thereby  keeping  your  own  energies 
fresh  for  the  part  that  is  expected  of  you.  You  have  carried 
the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age  into  a  quarter  where.it  is 
least  expected  to  be  found,  for  you  have  applied  machinery 
to  literature,  and  have  almost  done  for  book-writing  what 
the  printing-press  did  for  book  dissemination.  It  is  true  that 
few  men  of  literary  tastes — for  is  it  not  written  that  they 
are  all  miserably  poor? — are  in  a  position  to  avail  them- 
selves of  your  system,  and  I  know  of  no  one  but  yourself  to 
whom  the  suggestion  I  am  about  to  make,  which  is  simply 
an  extension  of  that  system,  would  be  practicable. 

"  It  is  of  course  well  known  to  you  that  notes  of  a  general 
character  are  indispensable  to  every  writer.  Their  impor- 
tance and  value  cannot  be  overestimated.  They  are  abso- 
lutely requisite  for  the  attainment  of  both  brilliancy  and 
accuracy.  What  makes  a  man's  pages  sparkle  so  brightly  as 
a  judicious  and  appropriate  use  of  those  'jewels  five  words 
long  which  on  the  stretched  forefinger  of  all  time  sparkle 
forever'  ?  They  serve  to  show  the  breadtli  of  his  reading — 
a  most  laudable  vanity,  I  think,  if  kept  within  bounds — they 


MY    METHOD    OF    WRITING    HISTORY.  345 

inspire  respect  in  the  reader,  they  say  things  for  him  that  the 
writer  could  but  indifferently  express  in  his  own  words,  and 
by  obliterating  the  obnoxious  ego  for  a  moment  they  stamp 
his  work  with  the  mark  of  authority.  But  I  am  sure  that  you 
appreciate  their  value  and  desirability.  Yet  how  is  it  possible 
to  have  them  at  hand  without  the  use  of  notes  ?  A  man  can- 
not carry  in  his  head  all  the  books  he  has  read ;  neither, 
though  he  has  them  all  by  heart,  will  the  passages  and  facts 
which  he  most  admires  or  which  are  most  appropriate  to  his 
present  purpose  occur  to  him  when  he  needs  them  most. 
The  prejudice  v/hich  exists  against  a  commonplace  book  in 
the  minds  of  many  who  are  not  writers  is  absurd  in  the  ex- 
treme. What  author  of  eminence  has  been  without  one  ?  It 
is  true  that  quotations  and  allusions  as  they  crop  out  in  the 
pages  do  and  should  appear  to  have  occurred  to  the  writer 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment;  but  that  they  were  in  reality 
carefully  drawn  from  his  written  archives  and  not  from  the 
calls  of  a  superhuman  memory  is  a  compliment  to  his  industry 
and  no  slur  upon  his  learning. 

"  You  will  think  me  fearfully  long-winded,  I  know,  but  I 
come  straight  to  business  when  I  state  that  I  should  like  to 
take  general  notes  of  this  kind  for  you,  and  what  I  have  said 
was  merely  to  show,  first,  that  my  taking  them  out  for  you 
would  be  perfectly  in  accordance  with  your  views  of  the  way 
in  which  such  work  must  be  done,  and  second,  that  such 
notes  should  be  in  your  possession. 

"  I  have,  of  course,  no  doubt  that  you  have  already  a  large 
collection  of  your  own;  but  one  can  never  have  too  many, 
or  even  enough  of  them,  and  I  think  that  I  might  materially 
assist  you.  To  keep  himself  up  with  the  literature  of  the  day 
is  about  all  that  a  man  can  attend  to  in  these  times,  and  he 
has  little  leisure  for  taking  the  back-track  among  the  brain- 
work  of  the  past." 

Few  persons  were  better  qualified  for  this  work  than  Mr. 
Harcourt.  No  one  possessed  finer  literary  tastes  than  he; 
no  one's  reading  was  of  a  wider  range  than  his.  And  yet 
for  him  to  accomplish  this  labor  for  me  I  deemed  impracti- 


346  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

cable.  For  his  own  use  his  notes  would  be  invaluable,  but  I 
might  almost  as  well  draw  my  notes  of  illustration  from 
cyclopaedias  and  quotation  dictionaries  already  in  use  as  to 
have  Mr.  Harcourt  make  a  collection  specially  for  me.  His 
would  be  on  the  whole  better,  unquestionably,  since  I  could 
direct  him  what  categories  to  draw  from,  and  in  what  form 
to  write  them  out ;  but,  after  all,  the  fact  would  remain  that 
they  were  quotations,  either  literal  or  in  essence,  and  in  their 
original  conjunctions  they  were  worth  far  more  to  me.  More- 
over, there  was  too  much  of  sham  in  the  proposition. 

After  all  that  may  be  said  of  inventions  and  systems,  or 
even  of  ability,  work,  work  was  ever  my  chief  dependence. 
That  which  we  call  genius,  not  that  I  ever  laid  claim  to  it, 
is  often  nothing  else  than  the  natural  growth  of  organs  and 
faculties  which  of  necessity  grow  by  their  use.  All  produc- 
tions are  the  result  of  labor,  physical  or  mental,  applied  to  nat- 
ural objects.  Says  Sainte-Beuve  of  the  labor  expended  in  writ- 
ing his  inimitable  Causeries  du  Lundi,  or  Monday-Chats :  "  I 
descend  on  Tuesday  into  a  well,  from  which  I  emerge  only  on 
Sunday."  It  is  no  small  task  even  to  edit  another  man's  work, 
if  it  be  done  thoroughly  and  conscientiously.  John  Stuart 
Mill,  in  editing  Bentham's  Rationale  of  Judicial  Evidence, 
was  obliged  to  condense  three  masses  of  manuscript,  begun 
at  three  several  times,  into  a  single  treatise ;  he  was  likcAvise 
to  supply  any  omissions  of  Mr.  Bentham,  and  to  that  end 
read  several  treatises  on  the  law  of  evidence. 

Intellectually,  as  well  as  physically,  the  rule  holds  good 
that  he  who  will  not  work,  neither  shall  he  eat.  To  the  rich, 
therefore,  as  to  the  poor,  this  rule  applies,  and  with  greater 
intensity  it  rivets  the  rich  man's  bonds.  The  most  worthless 
of  us,  if  poor  enough,  are  hammered  by  necessity  into  some- 
thing useful,  even  as  the  cooper  hammers  the  leaky  barrel. 

The  work  of  man  is  distinguished  from  that  of  beasts  in 
that  it  has  intelligence.  Strictly  speaking,  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  purely  manual  labor.  All  human  labor  is  pardy 
physical  and  partly  mental ;  as  we  descend  the  scale  the  phy- 
sical element  increases  and  the  mental  decreases. 


MY    METHOD    OF    WRITING    HISTORY.  347 

It  is  only  the  ruder  forms  of  labor  that  bring  immediate 
returns ;  the  more  complex  productions  of  the  mind  are  of 
slower  ripening.  In  the  earlier  stages  of  progress  muscu- 
lar exertion  is  depended  upon  almost  entirely  for  supplying 
the  wants  of  mankind.  But  as  the  mind  acquires  strength 
and  experience,  natural  agents,  the  falling  water,  wind,  heat, 
and  electricity,  are  harnessed  to  mechanical  contrivances  and 
made  to  do  duty  as  labor-saving  machines. 

Nature  abhors  immobility.  Motion  is  the  normal  condi- 
tion of  man  as  well  as  of  matter.  Society  is  but  a  stream, 
ever  seeking  its  level,  ever  flowing  on  toward  the  ocean  of 
eternity.  And  who  Avonders  that  some  men  should  believe 
that  on  reaching  this  ocean  beyond  the  shores  of  time  the 
souls  of  men  are  beaten  up  by  the  universal  sun  into  new 
forms  of  existence,  even  as  the  sun  of  our  little  system  beats 
the  waters  of  the  ocean  into  cloudy  vaj^or?  This  is  the 
central  idea  round  which  revolves  all  thought,  the  central 
force  from  which  radiate  all  energies,  the  germ  of  all  develop- 
ment, the  clearest  lesson  thrown  by  nature  upon  the  dark 
economy  of  Providence,  that  in  labor  and  sorrow  are  rest 
and  happiness,  that  in  decay  there  is  growth,  in  the  dust  of 
death  the  budding  flowers  of  immortality. 

Experience  alone  must  be  the  teacher  of  those  who  strike 
out  into  new  paths;  meanwhile  old  ways  must  satisfy  the 
more  conservative.  Learning  from  experience  is  a  different 
thing  from  learning  by  experience.  All  the  wealth  of  Russia 
could  not  teach  Peter  the  Great  hoAv  to  build  a  ship ;  but  a 
day-laborer  in  a  Dutch  dock-yard  cOuld  reveal  to  him  the 
mystery,  and  speedily  it  unfolded  within  him. 

Before  genius  is  application.  The  m.ind  must  be  fertilized 
by  knowledge  and  made  prolific  by  industr}^  With  all  the 
marvellous  energetic  training  of  his  son,  which  alone  made 
him  the  man  he  was,  the  father  of  John  Stuart  Mill  failed 
to  implant  in  him  practical  energy.  He  made  him  know 
rather  than  do.  ]\Iany  men  there  have  been  of  great  capa- 
bilities and  zeal  who  have  expended  their  energies  on  energy 
alone ;  that  is  to  say,  they  were  ready  enough  to  begin  a 


348  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

great  task,  and  would  begin  many  such,  and  labor  at  them 
with  brave  conscientiousness ;  but  so  high  was  their  standard 
and  so  keen  the  sense  of  their  own  imperfections,  that  after 
a  lifetime  of  futile  study  and  elaboration  they  sank  beneath 
the  burden,  the  child  of  their  excessive  labor  being  stillborn 
and  never  seeing  the  light. 

Surely  each  of  us  may  do  something ;  may  leave  a  bequest 
at  least  as  beneficial  to  our  race  as  that  of  Hierocles,  joke- 
compiler  of  the  fifth  century,  who  after  the  arduous  labors  of 
a  lifetime  left  to  the  world  a  legacy  of  twenty- one  jokes  which 
he  had  collected.  And  if  they  were  good  jokes  he  might 
have  done  worse;  like  many  another  of  more  pretentious 
wisdom,  he  might  have  died  and  left  no  joke  at  all.  For, 
as  Goethe  says : 

"  Soil  doch  nicht  als  ciii  Pilz  der  Mensch  dem  Boden  entwachsen, 
Und  verfaulen  geschwind  an  dem  Platze,  der  ilm  eizeugt  hat, 
Keine  Spur  naclilassend  von  seiner  lebendigeu  Wirkung  !" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FURTHER   INGATHERINGS. 

Das  Wenige  verschwindet  leicht  dem  Blicke, 
Der  vorwiirts  sieht,  wie  viel  noch  iibrig  bleibt. 

—  Goethe. 

WITH  Goethe  I  might  truly  say  at  this  juncture  that  the 
Uttle  I  had  done  seemed  nothing  when  I  looked  forward 
and  saw  how  much  there  remained  to  be  done.  Whatever 
else  I  had  in  hand,  never  for  a  moment  did  I  lose  sight  of 
the  important  work  of  collecting.  Moved  by  the  increasing 
importance  given  to  facts  and  points  of  detail  in  the  inductive, 
moral,  and  physical  science  of  the  age,  I  regarded  with  deep 
longing  the  reach  of  territory  marked  out,  where  so  much 
loss  and  destruction  were  going  on,  and  at  such  a  rapid  rate. 
My  desires  were  insatiable.  So  thoroughly  did  I  realize  how 
ripe  was  the  harvest  and  how  few  the  laborers,  how  rapidly 
was  slipping  from  mortal  grasp  golden  opportunity,  that  I 
rested  neither  day  nor  night,  but  sought  to  secure,  from  those 
thus  passing  away,  all  within  my  power  to  save  before  it  was 
too  late.  With  the  history  of  the  coast  ever  before  me  as  the 
grandest  of  unaccomplished  ideas,  I  gathered  day  by  day  all 
scraps  of  information  upon  which  I  could  lay  my  hands. 

Among  my  earliest  attempts  to  secure  original  documents 
from  original  sources  was  the  sending  of  Bosquetti  to  San 
Jose  and  Sacramento  in  1869,  as  previously  related.  Long 
before  this,  however,  while  collecting  information  for  the  sta- 
tistical works  issued  by  the  firm,  I  had  secured  a  little  material 
of  a  local  character,  but  nothing  of  a  very  important  nature. 

The  conception  first  assum.ed  more  definite  form  in  the 
brief  sketches  of  notable  pioneers,  or  of  any  one  at  all  who 


35°  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

had  come  to  the  country  before  1849;  indeed,  at  the  time  of 
beginning  my  work  the  popular  idea  of  a  history  of  CaHfor- 
nia  dated  in  reaUty  from  the  coming  of  the  Americans.  All 
before  that  was  shadowy,  if  not,  indeed,  mythologic.  At  all 
events  it  was  generally  supposed  to  be  something  no  one  knew 
much  about,  and  the  little  that  could  be  ascertained  was  not 
worth  the  writing  or  the  reading.  The  hijos  del  pais  were 
regarded  as  being  nothing,  as  having  done  nothing,  as  being 
able  to  communicate  nothing,  and  would  not  tell  of  them- 
selves or  of  the  past  if  they  could ;  so  that  at  this  period  of 
my  investigations  a  white  man  who  had  come  to  the  country 
in  1846  or  in  1848  was  a  magazine  of  historical  information. 

No  inconsiderable  results  attended  these  efforts  even  at  an 
early  day.  Quite  a  number  of  pioneers  responded  to  appeals 
made  them  by  letter,  and  sent  in  their  written  statements. 
Some  called  at  the  library  and  gave  in  their  testimony  there. 
Up  through  Napa  valley,  into  the  Lake  country,  and  back 
by  Cloverdale  and  Santa  Rosa,  I  made  a  hasty  trip  in  1871. 
About  this  time  I  engaged  Mr.  Montgomery,  editor  of  a 
Napa  newspaper,  to  furnish  some  sketches  from  original 
sources  of  the  experiences  of  early  settlers.  From  the  secre- 
tary of  the  society  of  California  pioneers  I  obtained  the  names 
of  those  whose  adventures  were  deemed  worthy  of  record, 
and  sent  men  to  take  their  statements.  "  There  should  be  a 
chronicle  kept,"  says  Doctor  Johnson,  "  in  every  considerable 
family,  to  preserve  the  characters  and  transactions  of  succes- 
sive generations." 

At  Sacramento,  at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  elsewhere  in  my 
travels  about  the  Pacific  coast,  I  made  additions  from  time  to 
time  to  this  very  valuable  part  of  my  collection.  Some  of 
the  efforts  and  expeditions  made  by  me  and  by  my  assistants 
in  search  of  historical  data  I  give  in  this  volume,  but  thrice 
as  much  must  remain  untold. 

Long  before  I  made  my  journey  to  the  north,  where  I  re- 
ceived such  a  warm  reception  and  such  cordial  aid  in  every 
quarter,  I  received  from  the  author,  the  Honorable  Elwood 


FURTHER   INGATHERINGS.  351 

Evans  of  Olympia,  early  in  1S73,  his  manuscript  history  of 
Oregon  and  the  great  northwest,  with  permission  to  copy 
the  same,  and  to  use  it  at  my  discretion.  Mr.  Evans  was 
a  highly  talented  member  of  the  bar,  a  ripe  scholar,  a  grace- 
ful writer,  and  a  man  thoroughly  famihar  with  the  history  of 
those  parts,  where  indeed  he  had  resided  for  most  of  his  life. 
His  history  had  been  carefully  written,  and  had  many  times 
undergone  critical  revision  by  those  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
development  of  the  country;  for  example,  by  Sir  James  Doug- 
las and  W.  F.  Tolmie,  of  Victoria,  touching  the  operations  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  company,  of  which  those  gentlemen  were 
chief  officers  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  more.  I  need  not 
say  that  this  manuscript  was  of  the  greatest  value  to  me  in 
writing  the  History  of  the  NortJnuest  Coast,  or  that  Mr.  Evans 
is  entitled,  aside  from  my  heart-felt  thanks,  to  the  highest 
praise  for  his  singular  and  disinterested  magnanimity  in  per- 
mitting me  to  copy  and  use  so  important  a  manuscript, 
which  he  had  written  for  publication.  A  stranger  to  Mr. 
Evans  might  regard  his  conduct  as  peculiar,  but  one  ac- 
quainted vrith  him  would  not.  Years  before  I  had  any 
thought  of  writing  history  I  had  known  him,  and  had  held 
him  in  high  esteem.  Far  above  all  commonplace  or  personal 
views  of  what  affected  the  general  good,  his  mind,  to  me, 
seemed  cast  in  other  than  ordinary  mould.  At  all  events  I 
was  impressed  by  Mr.  Evans  as  by  one  dwelling  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  ethereal  high-mindedness  such  as  few  of  his  fellov/s 
could  understand,  much  less  attain  to. 

Mr.  James  G.  Swan  of  Port  Townsend,  author  of  The 
Northwest  Coast,  made  the  subject  of  the  coast  tribes  a  special 
study  for  some  twenty  years.  '*  I  find  a  deal  of  error,"  he 
writes  me  the  22d  of  February,  1875,  "  in  the  accounts  of  the 
early  voyagers,  particularly  in  their  speculative  theories  in  re- 
lation to  the  natives;  nor  is  this  suiprising  v/hen  we  reflect 
that  at  that  early  day  the  whites  and  Indians  did  not  under- 
stand each  other,  but  conversed  mostly  by  signs  and  panto- 
mime. None  of  these  early  voyagers  remained  at  any  one 
place  long  enough  to  acquire  the  native  language;  hence  we 


352  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

find  SO  much  of  error.  Even  most  modern  writers  have  passed 
over  this  region  rapidly,  and  have  jotted  down  their  ideas 
without  knowing  or  caring  whether  they  were  correct  or  not." 
Mr.  Stephen  Powers  gave  me  the  use  of  a  valuable  unpub- 
lished manuscript  on  the  manners  and  customs  of  certain 
native  Californian  tribes  among  v/hich  he  had  spent  much 
time. 

For  material  for  the  history  of  Alaska  I  applied  in  1874  by 
letter  to  the  Russian  consul  in  San  Francisco,  Martin  Klink- 
ofstrom,  who  forwarded  my  communication  to  the  academy 
of  sciences  in  St.  Petersburg.  It  happened  at  this  time  that 
my  friend  Alphonse  Pinart,  the  distinguished  Americardstc 
who  had  published  several  works  on  the  Pacific  coast,  more 
particularly  of  an  ethnological  and  linguistic  character,  was 
pursuing  his  investigations  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  to  him  the 
consul's  letter  was  referred.  Monsieur  A.  Schiefner,  mem- 
ber of  the  academy,  writing  the  6th  of  June,  1875,  says:  "Si 
vous  trouverez  que  I'acadcmie  vous  pourra  etre  utile  comme 
intermediaire  elle  sera  toujours  a  vos  services." 

M.  Pinart  had  been  engaged  for  two  years  past  in  collecting 
material  on  the  early  settlement  of  the  Russians  on  Bering 
sea  and  the  northwest  coast,  and  on  the  cstabhshment  and 
abandonment  by  the  Russians  of  Fort  Ross,  in  California. 
For  this  purpose  he  had  visited  Alaska,  searched  France  and 
Germany,  and  was  now  in  St.  Petersburg.  Writing  from  that 
city  the  6th  of  February,  1875,  he  offers  to  place  at  my  free 
disposition  all  such  books  and  documents  as  he  had  found 
upon  the  subject.  Indeed,  he  was  officially  notified  so  to  do 
by  M.  Schiefner,  to  whom  my  best  thanks  arc  due,  and  who 
granted  M.  Pinart  every  facility,  both  on  his  own  account 
and  mine. 

M.  Pinart  concludes  his  letter  as  follows :  "  I  must  tell 
you  that  the  archives  of  Russia  are  very  poor  in  documents 
relating  to  Russian  America,  they  having  been  in  some  way 
destroyed.  I  was  able  to  put  my  hand  only  on  very  few  of 
them.     Most  of  the  notices  relating  to  the  colonies  are  printed 


FURTHER   INGATHERINGS.  353 

in  papers  or  reviews,  some  of  them  exceedingly  difficult  to 
find."  Pinart  was  to  be  in  San  Francisco  the  following 
autumn,  and  was  to  bring  with  him  all  his  material.  This 
he  did,  adding  rich  treasures  to  my  library.  Of  such  books 
and  manuscripts  as  he  had  in  duplicate,  I  took  one  ;  the  rest 
were  copied  in  full  in  a  translation  made  for  me  by  Mr.  Ivan 
Petroff. 

In  1870-2  M.  Pinart  visited  Alaska,  and  acquired  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  languages  and  customs  of  the  Aleut  and  Kolosh 
nations.  Returning  to  Europe  in  1872  he  was  awarded  the 
gold  medal  of  the  French  geographical  society  for  his  explo- 
rations on  the  northwest  coast  of  America.  Afterward  he 
spent  much  time  within  the  territory  of  the  Pacific  states,  liv- 
ing with  the  aborigines,  in  order  to  study  their  character  and 
languages.  During  1874-6  he  was  in  Arizona,  Sonora,  Utah, 
Idaho,  Oregon,  Washington,  British  Columbia,  and  the  South 
Sea  islands. 

In  1873  he  purchased  a  portion  of  the  library  of  Brasseur 
de  Bourbourg,  and  after  the  death  of  the  abbe,  in  January, 
1874,  the  rest  of  his  books  and  manuscripts  fell  into  the  hands 
of  M.  Pinart.  To  all  of  these  he  most  generously  gave  me 
free  access,  and,  further  to  facilitate  my  labors,  boxed  such 
portions  of  them  as  I  required  for  my  history  and  sent  them 
to  my  library.  After  I  had  used  them,  they  were  returned 
to  Marquise,  where  his  collection  was  kept. 

To  Innokentie,  metropolitan  of  Moscow,  lohan  Venia- 
minof,  Russian  missionary  to  the  Aleuts,  to  Admiral  Lutke, 
and  to  Etholen,  formerly  governor  of  the  Russian-American 
possessions,  I  am  likewise  indebted  for  favors. 

At  an  early  date  in  these  annals  I  placed  myself  in  corre- 
spondence with  the  heads  of  governments  lying  within  the 
territory  whose  history  and  literature  I  sought  to  serve.  In 
every  instance  my  overtures  met  with  a  warm  response. 
The  presidents  of  the  Mexican  and  Central  American  repub- 
lics, and  all  governors  of  states  to  whom  I  deemed  it  advis- 
able to  explain  the  character  of  my  work,  replied  by  offering 
23 


354  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

me  every  facility  at  their  command.  My  object  in  this  cor- 
respondence had  a  much  broader  significance  than  the  out- 
pouring of  comphments.  As  this  was  some  time  previous  to 
my  acquisition  of  the  valuable  works  from  the  collection  of 
E.  G.  Squier,  I  had  felt  the  lack  of  Central  American  mate- 
rial more  than  of  any  other  kind.  In  writing  the  first  vol- 
umes of  my  history,  while  I  had  abundance  of  material  for  a 
history  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  I  found  myself  in  the 
possession  of  less  bearing  upon  the  history  of  the  conquest 
of  the  more  southern  parts ;  and  of  further  material  for  mod- 
em history  I  was  also  in  need.  I  therefore  directed  Cerruti 
to  make  energetic  appeals  to  the  supreme  authorities  of  these 
extreme  southern  states  of  my  territory,  and  to  explain  the 
object,  progress,  and  importance  of  the  work.  Indeed,  I 
asked  no  great  favors,  nothing  but  access  to  their  historic 
archives. 

Despite  the  partisan  strife  which  had  thrown  the  Central 
American  states  into  disorder,  it  gave  me  much  pleasure  to 
find  that  my  efforts  to  establish  a  history  of  the  indigenous 
and  imported  races,  aboriginal,  Latin,  and  Anglo-Saxon,  of 
western  North  America,  would  receive  the  support  of  these 
governments.  It  was  here  that  aboriginal  civilization  had 
attained  its  fullest  proportions,  and  it  was  here  that  the  Euro- 
pean first  placed  foot  on  North  American  soil.  These  states 
were  stepping-stones,  as  it  were,  to  the  history  of  the  more 
northern  countries.  Here  begins  our  history  proper.  Replete 
are  the  early  chronicles  with  the  doings  of  the  conqiiistadorcs 
in  this  region;  and  although  their  prominence  is  no  longer 
what  it  once  was,  although  history  had  troubled  itself  little 
of  late  with  their  petty  conflicts,  yet  they  had  followed  in  the 
wake  of  progress,  and  they  now  displayed  a  commendable 
interest  in  the  historical  literature  of  their  country.  Some 
went  much  further  than  this,  even  so  far  as  to  appoint  com- 
missioners to  obtain  and  forward  me  material.  This  did  the 
presidents  of  Salvador  and  Nicaragua.  Gonzalez,  president 
of  the  former  republic,  in  his  letter  of  the  2 2d  of  August, 
1874,  speaks  with  regret  of  the  disregard  shown  in  Europe 


FURTHER   INGATHERINGS.  355 

for  the  history  of  Central  America,  and  the  consequent  igno- 
rance of  Europeans  as  to  the  real  importance  of  that  magni- 
ficent country.  He  is  profuse  in  his  appreciation  of  my 
efforts  in  that  direction.  "  La  simple  enunciacion  del  nombre 
del  libro  que  U.  prepara,"  he  writes,  "  seria  bastante  para  in- 
teresar  en  su  favor  a  todo  buen  Americano  " ;  and  as  such 
a  one  he  proffers  his  services.  M.  Brioso,  minister  of  foreign 
relations,  seemed  to  share  the  president's  feelings.  "  Los 
hombres  de  saber,"  he  writes  the  26th  of  May,  '•  los  hombres 
de  pensamiento,  los  hombres  de  Estado  han  saludado  con  en- 
tusiasmo  su  primera  entrega." 

No  less  appreciative  Avas  his  excellency  the  president  of 
Nicaragua,  Vicente  Cuadra.  Writing  to  Cerruti  from  Mana- 
gua, the  12th  of  December,  1874,  he  says:  "  Tengo  la  sat- 
isfaccion  de  decirle  que  el  comisionado  del  Gobierno,  Senor 
don  Carlos  Selva,  para  reunir  i  remitir  a  U.  documentos  re- 
lativos  a  Nicaragua  cumple  fiel  i  activamente  su  comision,  y 
que  ha  hecho  ya  algunas  remesas  que  deseo  sean  utiles  al 
ilustrado  Bancroft."  I  found  that  civil  war  had  unfortunately 
swept  the  country  of  many  of  its  archives.  "  Siento  verda- 
deramente,"  says  President  Cuadra,  "  que  los  archivos  de  este 
pais  hayan  sido  destruidos  6  deteriorados  a  consecuencia  de 
las  vicisitudes." 

Under  date  of  September  22,  1874,  the  commissioner 
Carlos  Selva  wrote  Cerruti  that  he  had  already  begun  the 
collecting  of  documents  for  the  history  of  Nicaragua,  and 
flattered  himself  that  he  should  be  able  to  accumulate  a  num- 
ber sufficient  to  enable  me  to  write  the  history  of  that  country 
at  least  from  the  date  of  Central  American  independence. 
At  the  same  time  the  commissioner  shipped  a  quantity  of 
documents  relating  not  only  to  Nicaragua  but  to  her  sister 
republics.  Nor  did  his  kindness  stop  there :  for  years  there- 
after he  was  alive  to  my  wants,  not  only  as  regarded  manu- 
scripts and  original  documents,  but  printed  journals  and 
bound  books.  The  Nicaraguan  secretary  of  foreign  relations, 
A.  M.  Rivas,  writes  the  2d  of  November  that  private  individ- 
uals as  well  as  the  public  authorities  were  responding  in  the  most 


356  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

satisfactory  manner  to  the  appeal  made  by  the  government 
for  historical  data  for  my  use.  The  secretary  hoped  the  doc- 
uments already  sent  had  safely  arrived ;  and  regretted  the  loss 
of  a  great  part  of  the  archives  of  the  republic,  destroyed  when 
in  1856  Granada  was  burned  by  the  filibusters. 

The  nth  of  December  Vicente  Cuadra  in  an  autograph 
letter  expresses  the  great  interest  he  takes  personally  as  well 
as  officially  in  my  literary  efforts,  and  his  satisfaction  in  know- 
ing that  the  commissioner  appointed  by  him  was  most  active  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

In  an  autograph  letter  dated  Guatemala  the  4th  of  De- 
cember, 1874,  his  excellency  J.  Rufino  Barrios,  president  of 
the  republic,  appeared  keenly  alive  to  the  importance  of  the 
work,  and  desired  detailed  information  regarding  the  kind  of 
material  sought,  in  order  that  he  might  the  more  under- 
standingly  cooperate.  On  receiving  my  reply,  he  went  to 
work  with  a  zeal  second  to  that  of  none  of  his  neighbors. 
Thus  it  appears  that  the  republics  of  Central  America  are 
not  one  whit  behind  the  other  nations  of  the  world  in  their 
interest  and  zeal  in  securing  a  proper  record  of  the  annals  of 
their  country. 

One  afternoon  in  May,  1874,  Father  Fitzsimons,  an  intelli- 
gent and  charitable  member  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic, 
called  at  the  library  and  informed  me  that  the  priests  of  his 
order  lately  exiled  from  Central  America  had  in  many  in- 
stances, in  order  to  prevent  their  valuable  libraries  from 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  government,  delivered  them  to 
the  natives  to  be  hidden  until  they  should  call  for  them ;  and 
to  strangers  these  custodians  would  undoubtedly  deny  the 
existence  of  any  such  books.  The  superior  of  the  order, 
Father  Villarasa,  who  resided  at  Benicia,  being  in  corre- 
spondence with  many  of  the  Central  American  priests  who 
were  then  returning  from  their  late  exile,  kindly  interested 
himself  to  procure  for  me  through  an  authorized  agent  mate- 
rial for  history  from  that  source. 

Soon  after  the  war  in  Mexico,  which  grew  out  of  the 
French    intervention.  General    Placido  Vega,   commander 


FURTHER   INGATHERINGS.  357 

under  Juarez,  brought  or  sent  to  San  Francisco  for  safe-keep- 
ing two  boxes  of  documents.  One  was  deposited  with  the 
California  trust  company  and  the  other  in  the  Vallejo  bank, 
both  being  subject  to  charges  at  the  rate  of  two  dollars  a 
month. 

The  boxes  were  deposited  in  the  name  of  General  Vallejo 
in  1872,  and  for  three  years  thereafter  nothing  was  heard  in 
California  from  Vega.  As  there  was  little  probability  that  the 
packages  would  ever  be  called  for,  General  Vallejo  sent  to 
the  library  the  box  which  was  at  the  Vallejo  bank,  with  an 
order  for  the  one  at  the  trust  company's.  I  was  to  pay 
the  charges  and  hold  the  documents  for  a  reasonable  time 
subject  to  Vega's  order,  in  case  they  were  ever  called  for. 
Should  Vega  never  demand  the  boxes  the  contents  would 
be  mine. 

"  I  have  opened  one  of  the  boxes,"  writes  Cerruti  the  nth 
of  May,  1875,  "and  found  it  filled  with  very  important  his- 
torical letters.  Mr.  Savage,  who  assisted  me  in  the  inspec- 
tion, leans  to  the  belief  that  they  ought  to  be  copied.  But  I 
entertain  a  different  view,  because,  the  box  being  in  debt  four 
hundred  dollars" — this  was  Cerruti's  characteristic  way  of 
writing  one  hundred  and  forty-four  dollars,  that  being  the 
amount  due  on  both  the  boxes  up  to  this  date — "  I  do  not 
think  it  likely  that  the  relatives  of  General  Vega  will  ever 
claim  it.  I  believe,  however,  that  an  index  would  not  be  out 
of  place,  for  it  would  facilitate  the  labor  of  the  historian." 

General  Vega  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  public 
affairs  of  Mexico.  He  was  intrusted  by  Juarez  with  impor- 
tant commissions.  These  boxes  of  official  and  private  corre- 
spondence, accounts,  etc.,  which  were  of  no  small  consequence 
to  the  history  of  that  period,  were  never  called  for. 

Between  the  years  1876  and  1880,  with  official  permission 
obtained  through  the  eftbrts  of  General  Vallejo  while  on  a 
visit  to  Mexico  in  company  with  his  son-in-law,  Frisbie,  I 
had  copies  made  of  some  of  the  more  important  manuscripts 
lodged  in  the  government  archives  of  the  city  of  Mexico. 


358  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

This  work  was  superintended  by  my  friend  Ellis  Read,  to 
whom  I  tender  thanks. 

A  representative  from  the  law  department  of  the  business 
attempted  in  1881  to  obtain  legislative  sanction  to  transfer 
the  archives  of  New  Mexico  for  a  time  to  my  library.  They 
were  in  a  deplorable  condition,  and  I  offered,  if  this  were  done, 
to  collate  and  bind  them  at  my  own  cost.  The  proposal  failing, 
I  was  obliged  to  go  thither  and  have  extracted  such  informa- 
tion as  I  required. 

Before  the  visit  of  Dom  Pedro  de  Alcantara,  emperor  of 
Brazil,  to  San  Francisco,  I  had  sent  an  inquiry  through  the 
Italian  consul  to  the  imperial  library  at  Rio  Janeiro  concern- 
ing documents  for  Central  American  history.  When  the  em- 
peror was  in  San  Francisco  in  1876  he  several  times  visited 
my  library,  seemed  to  be  much  interested  in  the  work,  and 
promised  me  every  assistance  in  his  power. 

Another  word  as  to  Mr.  Squier  and  his  collection.  E. 
G.  Squier  was  appointed  in  1849  charge  d'affaires  for  Gua- 
temala. He  organized  a  company  for  constructing  an 
inter-oceanic  railway  through  Honduras,  and  assisted  in 
surveying  a  route  in  1853.  In  1868  he  acted  for  a  time  as 
United  States  consul-general  to  Honduras.  Besides  his  Nica- 
ragua, Serpent  Symbol,  Notes  on  Cejitral  America,  Waikna, 
and  Honduras,  he  published  several  minor  works. 

Squier's  collection  bore  the  same  relation  to  Central 
America  that  Senor  Andrade's  did  to  Mexico.  It  was  by 
far  the  best  in  existence,  better  than  he  himself  could  again 
make  even  if  he  had  twenty  years  more  in  which  to  attempt 
it.  Most  fortunate  was  diis  sale  for  me,  for  it  enabled  me  to 
strengthen  my  library  at  its  weakest  point.  I  had  found  it 
very  difficult  to  gather  more  than  the  few  current  works  on 
this  part  of  my  territory ;  and  now  were  poured  into  my  lap 
in  one  magnificent  shower  treasures  which  I  had  never 
dared  to  expect.  By  this  purchase  I  added  to  the  library 
about  six  hundred  volumes,  but  tlie  number  was  not  com- 
mensurate with  the  rarity  and  value  of  the  works. 


FURTHER   INGATHERINGS.  359 

It  was  owing  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Squier  that  his  collection 
was  sold.  It  consisted  of  over  two  thousand  books,  sets  of 
pamphlets,  maps,  and  manuscripts. 

By  this  purchase  I  secured,  among  other  things,  a  series  of 
bound  manuscripts  of  sixteenth-century  documents  copied 
from  the  Spanish  libraries,  such  as  Ddvila  —  reports  by  this 
renowned  conquistador  and  comrades  from  1519  to  1524  on 
matters  relating  to  the  conquest  of  Panama  and  Nicaragua; 
Cerezeda  —  letters  of  1529-1533  on  Nicaragua  and  Hon- 
duras affairs;  Grijalva,  Rclacion  de  la  Jornada,  1533,  to  the 
South  Sea;  Pedro  de  Alvarado  —  letters,  1533  to  1 541,  on 
the  conquest  of  Guatemala  and  the  projected  maritime  ex- 
pedition ;  Andagoya  —  letters  on  a  Panama  canal  to  connect 
the  two  oceans;  Central  America — a  collection  of  letters 
and  reports,  1545  to  1555;  beside  which  there  was  a  large 
number  of  similar  documents,  bound  under  various  names, 
and  belonging  to  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries. 

Then  there  was  a  large  set  relating  to  a  more  northern  dis- 
trict, entitled  Materiales  para  la  Historia  de  So/iora,  contain- 
ing letters  and  reports  from  friars  and  officials  copied  from  the 
Mexican  archives,  such  as  Ziaita,  Breve y  Sumaria  Relacioii, 
1554,  Dcscripcion  de  la  America,  1 701-10,  and  others. 

The  most  noteworthy  among  the  printed  works  from  the 
Squier  collection  were  Leon  JPinelo,  Trato  de  Confirmaciones 
Reales  de  Encojuiendas,  Madrid,  1630,  bearing  on  the  en- 
comienda  system  of  New  Spain ;  Relaciofi  sabre  ,  .  .  Lacandon, 
1638,  by  the  same  author,  together  with  Villaquiran's  ap- 
pointment as  governor  there,  1639,  a  very  rare  and  unique 
copy,  treating  of  a  journey  which  created  great  excitement 
at  the  time ;  Gemelli  Carreri,  Giro  del Mondo,  part  vi.,  Napoli, 
1721,  being  a  record  of  his  observations  in  New  Spain; 
Vasquez,  Chronica  de  la  Provincia  .  .  .  de  Guatemala,  Guate- 
mala, 17 14,  tom.  i.,  a  rare  work ;  Jiiarros,  Compendia  de  la  His- 
toria de  la  Guatemala,  Guatemala,  1808-18,  in  two  volumes, 
indispensable  to  the  history  of  the  state ;  Rohles,  Memoiras 
para  la  Historia  de  Chiapa,  Cadiz,  18 13;  Pelaez,  Memorias 
para  la  Historia  del  Antigua  Guatemala,  in  three  volumes. 


360  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

In  addition  to  the  above  were  many  important  works  which 
I  cannot  enumerate,  bearing  on  history,  colonization,  pohtics, 
and  exploration,  and  narratives  of  travel  and  residence,  in 
English,  Spanish,  French,  German,  and  Italian,  and  several 
volumes  of  Central  American  newspapers. 

During  the  Avinter  of  1881-2  some  valuable  material  was  se- 
cured and  sent  to  the  library  by  my  agents  in  various  parts 
of  the  world,  as  well  as  by  government  officials  in  Washing- 
ton, Mexico,  Central  America,  and  Canada. 

At  the  Hawaiian  islands  was  Samuel  E.  Damon,  one  always 
interested  in  historical  research,  who  sent  me  files  of  the  Friend, 
the  Polynesian,  and  the  JVeu's,  containing  information  since 
1836  on  Oregon  and  California,  nowhere  else  existing.  At 
the  suggestion  of  Stephen  H.  Phillips  I  wrote  Lawrence  Mc- 
Auley,  who  gave  me  information  regarding  the  sale  of  the 
Pease  library,  which  occurred  in  1 87 1 .  Ten  years  later  George 
W.  Stewart  kindly  sent  me  the  numbers  of  the  Saturday  Press, 
in  which  was  a  series  of  articles  on  early  California  by  Henry 
L.  Sheldon,  a  journalist  in  California  as  early  as  1848. 

From  Mission  San  Jose  Cerruti  writes  the  i8th  of  April, 

1875: 

"A  few  clays  ago  Mr.  Osio,  a  resident  of  California  in  1826,  arrived 
in  San  Francisco,  dragging  along  with  him  a  manuscript  history  of  the 
early  times  in  California.  I  believe  he  originally  intended  to  give  it  to 
your  library,  but  certain  persons  whose  acquaintance  he  happened  to  make 
induced  him  to  reconsider  his  resolution,  and  made  him  believe  that  there 
was  money  in  it.  Actuated  by  that  belief,  he  has  given  his  manuscript 
to  Mr.  Hopkins,  keeper  of  the  archives  in  San  Francisco,  with  a  prayer 
for  enough  subscribers  to  pay  for  printing  it.  I  believe,  with  judicious 
diplomacy  and  a  little  coin,  you  could  get  some  person  to  purchase  the 
manuscript  for  your  library.  I  think  Mr.  Knight  would  be  the  right 
man.  If  I  tliought  I  could  gain  a  i)oint  by  going  to  San  Francisco  I  would 
cheerfully  do  so  ;  but  I  fear  my  mixing  in  the  matter  would  cause  a  rise 
in  the  price  of  the  manuscript." 

Being  in  San  Jose  one  day  in  November,  1877, 1  called  on 
Juan  Malarin  in  relation  to  the  Osio  history,  which  Vallejo, 


FURTHER    INGATHERINGS.  361 

Cerruti,  Savage,  and  others  had  at  various  times  during  the 
past  three  years  endeavored  to  obtain.  The  original  of  this 
important  work  belonged  to  J.  R.  Arques  of  Lawrence  station, 
into  whose  hands  it  fell  as  executor  of  the  estate  of  Argiiello, 
to  whom  the  manuscript  was  presented  by  the  author.  Osio 
was  then  living  in  Lower  California. 

Malarin  was  non-committal :  said  he  had  no  ownership  in 
the  manuscript,  but  did  not  think  Arques  would  regard 
favorably  the  proposition  to  lend  it  to  me,  though  he  did  not 
say  why.  Mr.  John  T.  Doyle  had  taken  a  copy  of  it,  and  on 
returning  to  San  Francisco  I  immediately  called  on  him. 
As  soon  as  I  had  stated  my  errand,  he  replied :  "  You  shall 
have  the  manuscript,  and  may  copy  it ;  and  anything  else 
that  I  have  is  at  your  disposal.  You  have  fairly  earned  the 
right  to  any  historical  material  in  California,  and  I  for  one 
am  only  too  glad  to  be  able  to  acknowledge  that  right  in 
some  beneficial  way."     Thus  the  matter  was  settled. 

About  this  time  I  found  myself  greatly  in  need  of  a  manu- 
script history  of  the  Bear  Flag  movement  by  Mr.  Ford,  a 
prominent  actor  in  the  scene.  It  was  the  property  of  the 
reverend  doctor  S.  H.  Willey,  of  Santa  Cruz,  to  whom  I  ap- 
plied for  it.  Dr.  Willey  responded  cheerfully  and  promptly, 
not  only  sending  me  the  Ford  manuscript,  with  permission 
to  copy  it,  but  also  other  valuable  material.  "  I  take  plea- 
sure in  lending  it  to  you,"  he  writes,  "  that  it  may  contribute 
possibly  to  accuracy  and  incident  in  your  great  work.  The 
manuscript  needs  considerable  study  before  it  can  be  read 
inteUigently.  Mr.  Ford  w  as  not  much  accustomed  to  writ- 
ing. General  Bidwell  says  he  was  a  very  honest  man,  but 
a  man  liable  to  be  swayed  in  opinion  by  the  prejudices  of 
his  time.  His  manuscript  seems  to  modify  the  current  opin- 
ion touching  Mr.  Fremont's  part  in  Bear  Flag  matters."  The 
doctor  also  gave  me  a  very  valuable  manuscript  narrative  of 
his  owTi  recollections. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  had  been  done  up  to  this  time 
I  felt  that  I  should  have  more   of  the  testimony  of  eye- 


362  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

witnesses.  Particularly  among  the  pioneers  of  and  prior  to 
1849,  and  among  the  native  Californians  inhabiting  the 
southern  part  of  the  state,  there  was  information,  difficult 
and  costly  to  obtain,  but  which  I  felt  could  not  be  dispensed 
with. 

Mr.  Oak  suggested  that  we  should  make  one  more  appeal, 
one  final  effort,  before  finishing  the  note-taking  for  California 
history;  and  to  this  end,  the  25th  of  August,  1877,  he  ad- 
dressed over  his  own  signature  a  communication  to  the  San 
Francisco  Bullet'm,  reviewing  what  had  been  done  and  sketch- 
ing what  was  still  before  us. 

Extra  copies  of  this  article  were  printed  and  sent  to  school- 
teachers and  others  throughout  the  coast,  with  the  request 
that  they  would  call  upon  such  early  settlers  as  were  within 
their  reach  and  obtain  from  them  information  respecting  the 
country  at  the  time  of  their  arrival  and  subsequently.  For 
writing  out  such  information,  for  one  class  would  be  paid 
twenty  cents  a  folio,  and  for  another  less  desirable  class  and 
one  more  easily  obtained,  fifteen  cents  a  folio.  Not  less  than 
five  thousand  direct  applications  were  thus  made,  and  with 
the  happiest  results.  Besides  this  Mr.  Leighton,  my  steno- 
grapher, took  some  sixty  additional  dictations  in  and  around 
San  Francisco,  and  Mr.  Savage  made  a  journey  south,  an  ac- 
count of  which  has  already  been  given.  Thus  I  went  over  the 
ground  repeatedly,  and  after  I  had  many  times  congratulated 
myself  that  my  work  of  collecting  was  done ;  in  truth  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  such  work  was  never  done. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

PRELIMINARY  AND  SUPPLEMENTAL  VOLUMES. 

Periculosae  plenum  opus  aleae, 
Tractas;  et  incedis  per  ignes 
Suppositos  cineri  doloso. — Horace. 

AS  I  have  elsewhere  remarked,  the  soul  and  centre  of  this 
literary  undertaking  v/as  the  History  of  the  Pacific  States; 
the  Native  Races  being  preliminary,  and  the  California  Pas- 
toral, Inter  Pociila,  Popular  Tribunals,  Essays  and  Miscellany, 
and  Literary  Industries  supplemental  to  this.  To  the  history 
belongs  a  biograpliical  section  entitled  Chronicles  of  the 
Builder's  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Of  the  inception  and  execution  of  the  Native  Paces  I  have 
already  given  a  full  description.  The  California  Pastoral  was 
also  a  necessary  part  of  the  series.  In  the  history  of  the 
Califomians  under  the  dominion  of  Mexico,  many  of  the  most 
charming  features  in  home  life,  in  the  peculiarities  of  the 
people,  and  their  social  and  political  behavior  under  the 
influence  of  their  isolation  and  strange  environment,  were 
necessarily  omitted.  Of  what  remained  from  this  superabun- 
dance of  material,  I  took  the  best,  and  weaving  with  it  some 
antique  foreign  facts  and  later  fancies  of  my  own,  I  embodied 
the  result  in  a  separate  volume,  and  in  a  more  attractive  form 
than  could  be  presented  in  condensed  history. 

In  like  manner  into  a  volume  entitled  California  Inter  Po- 
cula  was  thrown  a  multitude  of  episodes  and  incidents  follow- 
ing or  growing  out  of  the  gold  discovery,  which  could  not  be 
vividly  portrayed  without  a  tolerably  free  use  of  words,  and 
could  not  be  condensed  into  the  more  solid  forms  of  history 

363 


364  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

without,  to  some  extent,  stifling  the  life  that  is  in  them,  and 
marring  their  originahty  and  beauty.  Indeed,  of  this  class 
of  material,  engendered  during  the  flush  times  and  after- 
ward, I  had  enough  left  over  of  a  good  quaUty  to  fill  a  dozen 
volumes. 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  miraculous  transformation 
of  human  affairs,  upon  the  same  soil  and  under  the  same  sky, 
than  that  which  occurred  in  California  during  the  years  1848 
and  1849.  Prior  to  this  time,  the  two  stretches  of  seaboard 
five  hundred  miles  on  either  side  of  San  Francisco  bay  and 
running  back  to  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  were  occupied  by 
races  of  two  several  shades  of  duskiness,  and  divers  degrees 
of  intelligence,  the  one  representative  of  the  lowest  depths 
of  savagism,  and  the  other  of  the  most  quiescent  state  of 
civilization.  The  former  went  naked,  or  nearly  so,  ate  grass- 
hoppers and  reptiles,  among  other  things,  and  burrowed  in 
caves  or  hid  themselves  away  in  brush  huts  or  in  thickets. 
The  latter  dreamed  life  lazily  away,  lapped  in  every  luxury 
bounteous  nature  could  offer,  unburdened  by  care,  delighting 
in  dress  and  display,  but  hating  work  and  all  that  self-denying 
effort  on  which  the  progress  of  communities  and  individuals 
depends. 

In  the  far  north,  along  this  same  coast,  at  this  very  time 
were  two  other  phases  of  life,  both  of  which  were  abnormal 
and  individual ;  one  being  represented  by  the  Muscovite,  the 
other  by  the  Anglo-Saxon.  While  Earanof  ruled  in  Sitka, 
John  McLoughlin  ruled  on  the  Columbia,  to  the  full  measure 
of  life  and  death,  a  hundred  savage  nations,  occupying  an 
area  five  times  as  large  as  that  of  the  British  isles.  Socrates 
said  that  parents  should  not  marry  their  children  because  of 
tlic  discrepancy  in  their  ages.  One  would  think  so  great  a 
philosopher  as  Socrates  might  have  found  a  better  reason  for 
forbidding  so  monstrous  a  crime  against  nature.  The  auto- 
crat of  Fort  Vancouver  advocated  the  marriage  of  chief 
factors  and  traders  with  the  daughters  of  Indian  chiefs,  set- 
ting the  example  himself  by  mingling  his  blood  with  that  of 
the  American  aboriginal. 


PRELIMINARY  AND    SUPPLEMENTAL   VOLUMES.  365 

In  regard  to  the  volumes  entitled  Essays  and  Aliscdlaiiy 
and  Literary  Industries  they  shall  speak  for  themselves.  But 
as  to  my  two  volumes  called  Popular  Tribunals  I  will  here 
make  a  few  remarks. 

During  the  two  years  and  more  that  my  assistants  were  en- 
gaged in  taking  out  notes  on  California  history,  I  wrote  the 
work  entitled  Popular  Tribunals,  making  of  it  at  first  three 
volumes  and  then  reducing  it.  I  began  this  task  in  1875; 
finished  the  first  writing  in  1877;  revising  and  publishing  it 
ten  years  later.  I  began  it  as  an  episode  of  Califomian  his- 
tory which  would  occupy  three  or  four  chapters,  and  which 
I  could  easily  write  during  the  few  months  for  which  I  sup- 
posed the  note-takers  would  be  engaged.  The  note-taking 
was  six  times  the  labor  I  had  anticipated,  and  so  was  the 
Popular  Tribunals. 

As  I  did  not  wish  to  interrupt  the  note-taking,  which  was 
being  done  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Oak,  I  derived  little 
help  on  this  work  from  my  assistants.  When  at  Oakville, 
White  Sulphur  springs,  Santa  Cruz,  or  elscAvhere,  such  material 
as  I  lacked  I  wrote  for  and  it  was  sent  to  me. 

The  method  I  adopted  was  as  follows :  The  subject  seemed 
to  divide  itself  about  equally  between  the  outside  or  pubhc 
workings  of  the  vigilance  committee,  and  the  inner  or  secret 
doings.  For  the  former,  there  were  only  the  journals  of  the 
day,  and  a  few  disordered  and  partial  statements  printed  in 
books.  There  was  no  history  of  the  vigilance  committee 
movement  in  existence. 

As  a  rule  newspaper  reports  are  not  the  most  reliable  tes- 
timony upon  which  to  base  history.  But  in  this  instance  they 
were  the  very  best  that  could  exist.  Spreading  before  me 
six  or  eight  of  the  chief  journals  of  the  day,  I  had  in  them  so 
many  eye-witnesses  of  the  facts,  Avritten  by  keen  fact-hunters 
while  the  incidents  were  yet  warm,  and  thrown  out  among  a 
people  who  knew  as  much  of  what  was  transpiring  as  the 
newspaper  reporters  themselves,  so  that  every  misstatement 
was  quickly  branded  as  such  by  jealous,  competing  journals 
and  by  a  jealous  pubHc.     Here  was  every  advantage.     For 


366  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

the  transactions  of  each  day  and  hour,  I  could  marshal  my 
witnesses,  taking  the  testimony  of  each  as  it  was  given  accord- 
ing to  actual  occurrence,  taking  it  with  a  full  knowledge  of 
the  prejudices  and  proclivities  of  each  witness.  Thus  for  a 
review  of  the  day's  doings,  as  a  newspaper  radically  on  the 
side  of  vigilance,  I  took  the  Bulletin.  For  description  of  the 
same  events  from  the  extreme  law  and  order  stand-point,  I 
examined  the  Herald.  For  more  moderate  expressions  of 
facts  and  opinions,  though  still  leaning  to  the  side  of  vigil- 
ance, I  looked  through  the  Alta  California,  the  Sacrametito 
Uiiion^  the  Courier,  Chronicle,  and  Town  Talk. 

Thus  at  my  command  were  a  dozen  or  twenty  reporters  to 
search  the  city  for  items  and  give  them  to  me ;  and  thus  I 
went  over  the  several  years  of  this  episode,  point  by  point, 
bringing  in,  connecting,  condensing,  until  I  had  a  complete 
narrative,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  of  all  these  strange 
events. 

This  for  the  outside  of  the  subject.  But  there  yet  remained 
an  inner,  hidden,  and  hitherto  veiled  portion,  which  was  now 
for  the  first  time  to  be  revealed.  There  had  been  at  various 
times,  both  before  and  after  the  disbandment  of  the  commit- 
tee, proposals  for  publishing  a  history  of  the  movement,  but 
none  of  them  had  been  seriously  entertained.  Indeed  it 
was  not  regarded  as  safe  to  reveal  their  secrets.  These  men 
had  broken  the  law,  and  while  in  truth  they  were  law-abiding 
citizens,  they  were  none  the  less  subject  to  punishment  by 
the  law.  Secrecy  had  been  from  the  beginning  a  cardinal 
virtue  of  the  association.  Absolute  good  faith,  one  toward 
another ;  it  was  herein  their  great  strength  and  efficiency  lay. 

There  might  be  some  members  more  fearless,  and  with 
broader  and  more  intelligent  views  than  the  others,  who 
could  see  no  objection  to  placing  on  record  for  the  benefit 
of  mankind,  in  subsequent  ages,  the  whole  truth  and  details 
of  the  tragical  affairs  of  tlic  association,  but  who  yet  did  not 
feel  at  liberty  to  do  so  as  long  as  others  interposed  objec- 
tions. Such  objections  were  interposed,  and  such  denials 
given,  many  times,  until  at  last  the  question  arose :  Should 


PRELIMINARY  AND    SUPPLEMENTAL   VOLUMES.  367 

these  things  ever  be  revealed,  or  should  the  secrets  of  the 
executive  committee  die  with  the  death  of  the  members  ?  I 
sent  Cerruti  after  these  men,  but  Italian  blandishments 
seemed  to  have  greater  eftect  upon  his  more  volatile  brothers 
of  the  Latin  race,  than  upon  these  hard-headed  and  com- 
paratively cold-blooded  Yankees.  One  of  them  when  spoken 
to  by  Cerruti  drew  his  finger  across  his  throat  significantly 
saying,  "  That  would  be  to  pay  if  I  told  all."  Then  I  waited 
upon  them  myself. 

"  You  have  no  right,"  I  said,  "  to  withhold  these  facts  for- 
ever from  the  world.  History  belongs  to  society.  To  our 
children  belong  our  experiences ;  and  if  we  hide  the  knowl- 
edge we  have  gained  we  rob  them  of  a  rightful  inheritance. 
Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  now  passed.  You  cannot 
always  live.  Are  you  willing  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  so 
gross  a  barbarism  as  the  extinguishment  of  this  knowledge  ?" 

Some  were  convinced,  others  obstinate.  In  vain  Mr. 
Dempster,  now  wholly  with  me,  called  upon  these  latter,  one 
after  another,  assured  them  that  this  history  would  be  writ- 
ten, and  asked  if  it  were  not  better  it  should  be  done  fully, 
truthfully,  than  with  only  half  the  evidence  before  the  writer. 
No.  They  did  not  wish  to  talk  about  it,  to  think  about  it. 
It  was  a  horrid  nightmare  in  their  memory,  and  they  would 
rather  their  children  should  never  know  anything  about  it. 

For  a  time  the  matter  thus  stood,  so  far  as  the  men  of  1856 
were  concerned.  Meanwhile  the  grim  inquisitors  who  had  so 
closely  sealed  their  own  lips  could  not  wholly  prevent  their 
former  associates  from  talking  upon  the  subject.  Little  by 
little  I  gathered  from  one  and  another  information  which  it- 
had  not  been  hitherto  deemed  proper  to  reveal.  By  report- 
ing to  one  what  another  had  said,  I  managed  to  gain  from 
each  more  and  more. 

Thus,  gradually  but  very  slowly,  I  wedged  my  way  into 
their  mysteries,  and  for  over  a  year  I  made  no  further  prog- 
ress than  this.  Then  I  began  operations  with  a  stenographer, 
making  appointments  with  those  who  had  taken  an  active 
part  in  one  committee  or  the  other,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 


368  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

down  a  narrative  of  their  early  experiences.  Many  of  these, 
once  started  on  the  line  of  their  lives,  seemed  unable  to  stop 
until  they  had  told  all  they  knew,  as  well  about  vigilance 
committees  as  other  matters. 

This  so  broke  the  crust  that  I  at  length  succeeded  in  per- 
suading Mr.  Bluxome,  the  "67  secretary"  of  the  first  commit- 
tee, and  the  yet  more  famous  "  33  secretary  "  of  the  second,  to 
let  me  have  the  books  and  papers  of  the  committee  of  185 1. 
All  these  years  they  had  been  locked  in  an  old  iron  safe  to 
which  he  had  carried  the  key.  The  executive  committee  of 
this  tribunal  had  never  been  so  strict  as  that  of  the  second; 
there  had  been  less  opposition,  less  law,  less  risk  in  the  first 
movement  than  in  the  second;  and  such  of  the  first  committee 
as  were  not  dead  or  absent  manifested  more  indifference  as 
to  the  secrets  of  their  association. 

Bluxome  tells  a  story  how  orders  of  court  were  wont  to  be 
eluded  when  vigilance  papers  were  ordered  to  be  produced. 

In  one  of  the  many  cases  for  damages  which  followed  the 
period  of  arbitrary  strangulations  and  expatriations,  the  judge 
ordered  the  records  of  the  vigilants  brought  into  court. 
Bluxome  obeyed  the  summons  in  person,  but  nothing  was 
seen  of  books  or  papers  in  his  possession. 

''Where  are  the  documents  you  were  ordered  to  bring?" 
demanded  the  judge. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Bluxome. 

"  Are  they  not  in  your  possession  ?  " 

"  No." 

"You  had  them?" 

"  Yes." 

"  What  did  you  do  with  them  ?  " 

"  I  delivered  them  to  Schenck." 

"  Where  are  they  now  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

Dismissed,  Bluxome  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  to  Schenck, 
and  informing  him  of  what  had  happened.  Scarcely  had 
Schenck  passed  the  documents  to  a  third  person,  before  he 
was  summoned  to  appear  in  court,  and  bring  with  him  the 


PRELIMINARY    AND    SUPPLEMENTAL   VOLUMES.  369 

required  papers.  After  testifying  as  Bluxome  had  done,  the 
person  to  whom  he  had  dehvered  them  was  summoned  with 
hke  result ;  and  so  on  until  all  concerned  were  heartily  tired 
of  it  and  let  the  matter  drop. 

It  was  a  great  triumph  when  all  the  archives  of  the  first 
committee  were  safely  lodged  in  the  library,  and  it  proved  a 
great  advantage  to  me  in  opening  the  way  to  the  books  and 
papers  of  the  second  committee.  These  were  in  the  keeping 
of  Mr.  Dempster,  to  be  held  in  trust  by  him ;  and  while  he 
would  gladly  have  placed  them  all  in  my  hands  at  the  first, 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  do  so  without  the  permission  of  his 
associates. 

I  found  it  less  difficult  after  this  to  obtain  dictations.  Mem- 
bers of  the  committee  of  1856  were  not  particularly  pleased 
that  I  should  have  so  much  better  facilities  placed  before  me  for 
writing  the  history  of  the  first  committee  than  for  the  second. 

Many  of  them  now  came  forward  of  their  own  accord 
and  told  me  all  they  knew.  The  15th  of  February,  1876, 
Mr.  Coleman,  president  of  the  committee  of  1856,  wrote  me, 
at  Oakville,  that  he  was  ready  to  give  me  data.  A  long  and 
exceedingly  valuable  narrative  of  all  the  events  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end  was  the  result.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  history 
of  the  movement,  and  from  the  one  most  able  to  furnish  it. 
This  was  supplemented  by  a  no  less  valuable  and  even  more 
thoughtful  and  philosophical  document  by  Mr.  Dempster. 
Likewise  from  Truett,  Smiley,  Bluxome,  and  twenty  others, 
I  obtained  interesting  narratives. 

When  I  had  written  the  narrative  of  the  first  committee  and 
had  fairly  begun  that  of  the  movement  of  1856,  the  absurd- 
ity of  the  position  assumed  by  certain  members  struck  me 
with  more  force  than  ever,  and  I  was  determined,  if  pos- 
sible, to  have  the  records  and  papers  of  the  second  committee. 
I  went  first  to  Coleman. 

"  I  want  all  the  archives   of  your  committee,"    I    said. 
"  It  is  the  irony  of  folly  to  compel  a  man,  at  this  day,  to 
make  brick  without  straw  when  you  have  abundance   of 
material  in  your  possession." 
24 


370  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

"  Had  it  rested  with  me  you  should  have  had  everything 
long  ago,"  said  Mr.  Coleman. 

Then  I  went  to  Dempster, 

"  Did  I  stand  where  you  do,"  I  ventured  to  affirm,  "  I 
would  not  permit  the  history  of  the  vigilance  committee  to 
be  written  until  those  books  and  papers  were  consulted." 

"  What  would  you  do  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  would  pay  no  attention,"  I  replied,  "  to  the  wishes  of 
those  few  wise  men  of  Gotham  who  would  arbitrate  this  mat- 
ter between  eight  thousand  vigilants  and  their  posterity. 
They  are  not  the  vigilance  committee ;  they  are  not  even  a 
majority  of  the  executive  committee." 

"  I  cannot  give  them  up  until  I  am  authorized  to  do  so," 
said  Dempster,  "  but  I'll  tell  you  what  I  will  do.  Come  to 
my  house  where  the  papers  are  kept ;  take  your  time  about 
it,  and  select  and  lay  aside  such  as  you  would  like.  I  will 
then  take  such  documents  and  show  them  first  to  one  and 
then  to  another  of  these  men,  and  they  shall  designate  such 
as  they  object  to  your  having." 

And  this  he  did;  with  the  result  that  no  one  threw  out 
anything.  •  But  even  that  did  not  satisfy  me.  I  wanted  the 
records  and  all  material  extant  on  the  subject.  I  wanted  these 
spread  out  before  me  while  I  was  writing;  and  I  finally  ob- 
tained all  that  I  asked. 

Thus  I  found  at  my  command  three  distinct  sources  of  in- 
formation, namely,  printed  books  and  newspapers,  the  archives 
of  the  committees,  and  the  personal  narratives  of  the  more 
conspicuous  of  those  who  participated  in  the  events. 

The  time  of  my  writing  this  episode  was  most  opportune. 
Had  I  undertaken  it  sooner, —  had  I  undertaken  it  without 
the  reputation  which  the  Native  Races  gave  me, — I  am  sure 
I  could  have  obtained  neither  the  vigilance  archives,  nor  the 
dictations.  At  all  events,  no  one  had  been  able  to  secure 
these  advantages,  and  many  had  so  endeavored.  On  the 
other  hand,  had  the  matter  been  delayed  much  longer,  those 
who  gave  in  their  testimony  would  have  passed  beyond  the 
reach  of  earthly  historians.    And  the  same  might  be  said  re- 


PRELIMINARY   AND    SUPPLEMENTAL   VOLUMES.  37 1 

garding  all  my  work.  Probably  never  did  opportunity  present 
so  many  attractions  for  writing  the  history  of  a  country.  Time 
enough  had  elapsed  for  history  to  have  a  beginning,  and  yet 
many  were  alive  who  had  taken  part  in  prominent  events. 

In  studying  the  vigilance  question,  I  began  with  unbiased 
views.  I  had  never  given  the  subject  serious  thought,  nor 
had  I  heard  the  arguments  on  either  side.  I  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far  in  my  investigations  before  I  became  convinced 
that  the  people  were  not  only  right,  but  that  their  action  v/as 
the  only  thing  they  could  have  done  under  the  circumstances. 
I  arrived  at  this  conclusion  in  summing  up  the  arguments  of 
the  opposite  side.  The  more  I  examined  the  grounds  taken 
by  the  law  and  order  party,  the  more  I  became  convinced 
that  they  were  untenable,  and  so  I  became  a  convert  to  the 
principles  of  vigilance  through  the  medium  of  its  enemies,  and 
before  I  had  heard  a  word  in  their  own  vindication.  Further 
than  this,  my  veneration  for  law,  legal  forms,  and  constitutions 
gradually  diminished  as  the  sophisms  of  their  worshippers 
became  more  palpable.  As  I  proceeded  in  my  investigations, 
I  saw  on  the  one  side  crime  rampant,  the  law  prostituted,  the 
ballot-box  under  the  control  of  villains  of  various  dye,  the 
tools  of  men  high  in  office.  I  saw  between  the  two  extremes, 
between  the  lower  and  upper  strata  of  this  fraternity  of  crime, 
between  the  whilom  convict,  now  election  inspector,  poll- 
fighter,  supervisor,  and  petty  political  thief,  between  these  and 
the  governor  and  supreme  judges,  a  multitude  anxious  to 
maintain  the  existing  state  of  things.  These  were  lawyers, 
whose  living  was  affected  by  such  disturbance;  judges,  whose 
dignity  was  outraged ;  sherifis,  whose  ability  was  called  in 
question,  and  with  them  all  the  scum  of  society,  hangers  on 
about  courts,  policemen,  pettifoggers,  and  thieves  —  all  who 
played  in  the  filthy  puddle  of  politics. 

\yhen  I  saw  this  element  banded  in  support  of  law,  or 
rather  to  smother  law,  and  opposed  to  them  the  great  mass 
of  a  free  and  intelligent  people,  representing  the  wealth  and 
industry  of  the  state,  merchants,  mechanics,  laboring  men, 
bankers,  miners,  and  farmers,  men  who  troubled  themselves 


372  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

little  about  political  technicalities  and  forms  of  law, —  when  I 
saw  these  men  drop  their  farms  and  merchandise  and  rise  as 
one  man  to  vindicate  their  dearest  rights,  the  purity  of  the 
polls,  safety  to  life  and  property, —  when  I  saw  them  rise  in 
their  single-heartedness  and  integrity  of  purpose,  carefully 
counting  the  cost  before  taking  their  stand,  but,  once  taken, 
ready  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  support  of  it,  and  then  with 
consummate  wisdom  and  calm  moderation,  tempering  justice 
with  mercy,  pursue  their  high  purpose  to  the  end, —  when  I 
saw  them  vilified,  snarled  at,  and  threatened  with  extermina- 
tion by  pompous  demagogues  who  had  placed  themselves  in 
power,  —  I  was  moved  to  strong  expression,  and  found  myself 
obliged  repeatedly  to  revise  my  writing  and  weed  out  phrases 
of  feeling  which  might  otherwise  mar  the  record  of  that  sin- 
gular social  outburst  which  I  aimed  to  give  in  all  honesty  and 
evenly  balanced  truthfulness. 

As  to  the  separate  section  of  the  history,  the  Chronicles  of 
the  Builders  of  the  Commomvealth,  I  may  truthfully  say  that 
it  was  evolved  from  the  necessities  of  the  case.  The  narra- 
tive of  events  could  not  be  properly  written  side  by  side  with 
full  biographies  of  those  who  had  made  the  country  what  it 
is,  and  it  was  not  complete  without  them;  hence  the  separate 
work. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

BODY   AND    MIND. 

Hard  students  are  commonly  troubled  with  gowts,  catarrhs,  rheums, 
cachexia,  bradypepsia,  bad  eyes,  stone,  and  coUick,  crudities,  oppilations, 
vertigo,  winds,  consumptions,  and  all  such  diseases  as  come  by  overmuch 
sitting;  they  are  most  part  lean,  dry,  ill-colored.  .  .  .  and  all  through  im- 
moderate pains  and  extraordinary  studies.  If  you  will  not  believe  the 
truth  of  this,  look  upon  the  great  Tostatus  and  Thomas  Aquinas'  works ; 
and  tell  me  whether  those  men  took  pains. 

—  Burton'' s  Anatojiiy  of  MclancJwly. 

WERE  it  not  that  men  conduct  themselves  as  if  they  knew 
it  not  it  would  seem  superfluous  at  this  late  day  to  talk 
about  exercise  as  a  requisite  to  health.  We  all  know  that 
brain-work  dissipates  the  nervous  forces  with  greater  rapidity 
than  the  most  arduous  physical  labor*  that  the  nervous  sub- 
stance of  the  body  is  exhausted  by  thought  just  as  physical 
exertion  exhausts  the  muscles.  And  yet  how  few  regard  the 
fact.  How  few  enthusiastic  workers  succeed  in  schooling 
their  habits  into  that  happy  equilibrium  which  secures  health, 
and  enables  them  to  make  the  most  of  both  mind  and  body. 
Often  it  is  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  daily  task,  at  the 
appointed  hour  to  drop  the  work  in  which  the  mind  is  so 
deeply  engrossed,  and  to  drive  one's  self  forth  to  those 
mechanical  movements  of  the  body  which  are  to  secure 
strength  for  another  day. 

Some  strength  and  stores  of  health  had  been  laid  in  for 
me,  thanks  to  my  father  who  gave  me  first  an  iron  constitu- 
tion, and  supplemented  it  with  that  greatest  of  earthly  bless- 
ings, work,  in  the  form  of  plowing,  planting,  harvesting,  and 
like  farm  occupation.  And  I  doubt  if  in  all  the  range  of 
educational   processes,  mental   and   physical,  there   is   any 


374  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES, 

which  equals  the  farm.  In  farm  labor  and  management 
there  are  constantly  at  hand  nev/  emergencies  to  cultivate 
readiness  of  resource,  and  the  adaptation  of  means  to  ends. 
Five  years  of  steady  work  on  a  farm  is  worth  more  to  most 
boys  than  a  college  education.  Later  in  life  it  was  only  by 
excessive  physical  exercise  that  I  could  bear  the  excessive 
strain  on  my  nervous  system.  By  hard  riding,  v/ood-sawing, 
long  walks  and  running,  I  sought  to  draw  fatigue  from  the  over- 
taxed brain,  and  fix  it  upon  the  muscles.  Often  the  remedy 
was  worse  than  the  disease ;  as,  for  example,  when  recreating, 
after  long  and  intense  application,  I  invariably  felt  worse 
than  while  steadily  writing.  Rest  and  recreation  are  pleas- 
urable no  less  ideally  than  by  contrast ;  no  work  is  so  tedious 
as  play  when  we  are  driven  to  it  by  necessity. 

Although  culture  is  so  much  less  necessary  to  happiness 
than  health,  yet  so  fascinating  is  the  acquisition  of  knov/ledge 
that  we  are  ready  to  sacrifice  all  for  it.  But  never  is  one  so 
beguiled  as  when  one  attempts  to  beguile  health.  For  a 
day,  or  a  year,  or  five  years,  one  may  go  on  without  respite, 
but  always  having  to  pay  the  penalty  with  interest  in  the  end. 

In  all  aids  to  physical  well-being,  the  trouble  is  to  become 
sufficiently  interested  in  any  of  them  to  escape  weariness. 
Irksome  exercise  produces  little  benefit.  The  instincts  of 
activity  must  not  be  opposed  by  mental  aversion.  Weari- 
some amusements  are  but  an  apology  for  pastimes. 

On  seating  myself  to  years  of  literary  labor,  I  sought  in 
vain  some  intellectual  charm  in  muscle-making.  Though  I 
loved  nature,  delighting  in  the  exhilaration  of  oxygen  and 
sunlight,  and  although  I  well  knew  that  liberal  indulgence  was 
the  wisest  economy,  yet  so  eager  was  I  to  see  progress  in  the 
long  line  of  work  I  had  marked  out,  that  only  the  most  rigid 
resolution  enabled  me  to  do  my  duty  in  this  regard.  I  felt 
that  I  had  begun  my  historical  efforts  late  in  life,  and  there 
was  much  that  I  was  anxious  to  do  before  I  should  return  to 
dust.  In  my  hours  of  recreation  I  worked  as  diligently  as 
ever.  I  sought  such  exercise  as  hardened  my  flesh  in  the 
.shortest  time.      If  I  could  have  hired  some  person  to  take 


BODY   AND    MIND,  375 

exercise  and  indulge  in  recreation  for  me,  every  day  and 
all  day,  I  would  have  been  the  healthiest  man  in  California. 
Yet,  though  I  sought  thus  to  intensify  my  exercise  so  as  to 
equal  my  desires,  I  could  not  concentrate  the  benefits  of  sun- 
shine, nor  condense  the  air  I  breathed. 

Nor  is  the  benefit  to  the  mind  of  bodily  exercise  any 
greater  than  the  benefit  to  the  body  of  mental  exercise.  Bod- 
ily disease  is  no  less  certainly  engendered  when  the  mind  is 
left  unengaged  and  the  body  placed  at  hard  labor,  than 
when  the  mind  is  put  to  excessive  labor  and  the  body  left  in 
a  state  of  inactivity.  A  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body  is  only 
secured  by  giving  both  body  and  mind  their  due  share  of 
labor  and  of  rest.  We  are  told  that  we  cannot  serve  two 
masters ;  yet  the  intellectual  worker  while  in  the  flesh  seems 
to  be  under  such  obligation.  If  man  were  all  animal  or  all 
intellect,  he  could  live  completely  the  animal  or  the  intel- 
lectual life,  living  one  and  ignoring  the  other;  but  being  man 
and  under  the  dominion  both  of  the  animal  and  of  the  men- 
tal, there  is  no  other  way  than  to  divide  his  allegiance  in  such 
a  way  as  to  satisfy  both,  so  far  as  possible.  Further  than 
this,  between  the  different  mental  faculties  and  between  the 
different  physical  faculties,  in  like  manner  as  between  men- 
tal and  physical  faculties,  there  are  antagonisms.  One  organ 
or  faculty  is  cultivated,  in  some  measure,  at  the  expense  of 
some  other  organ  or  faculty.  The  human  machine  is  capable 
of  manufacturing  a  given  quantity  only  of  nervous  force,  or 
brain  power,  and  in  v.-hatsoever  direction  this  is  applied,  there 
will  be  the  growth.  Exact  equality  in  the  distribution  of 
this  force  would  be  to  the  advantage  of  the  man  as  a  whole, 
but  not  to  society,  which  is  progressional,  as  leading  members 
crowd  certain  faculties  at  the  expense  of  the  others.  "  Extreme 
activity  of  the  reflective  powers,"  says  Herbert  Spencer, 
"  tends  to  deaden  the  feelings,  while  an  extreme  activity  of 
the  feelings  tends  to  deaden  the  reflective  powers." 

Excessive  brain- work  is  undoubtedly  injurious  to  bodily 
health ;  but  all  the  evil  effects  so  charged  are  not  due  to  this 
cause.      Previous   disease,    confinement,    or   other   indirect 


376  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

agency  often  lies  back  of  the  evils  laid  at  the  door  of  men- 
tal labor.  Indeed,  it  has  been  questioned  by  physiologists, 
whether  a  perfectly  healthy  organization  could  be  broken 
down  by  brain- work;  but  as  there  is  no  such  thing  in  nature 
as  a  perfectly  healthy  organism,  the  matter  can  never  be 
tested.  As  brain-work  rests  on  a  physical  base,  and  as  there 
is  constant  breaking  down  in  intellectual  labor,  just  how 
much  should  be  attributed  to  the  direct  influence  of  mind, 
and  how  much  to  extrinsic  influences,  one  cannot  say.  The 
body  may  be  already  in  a  shattered  state;  mind  may  direct 
the  body  into  bad  ways,  and  so  bring  it  to  harm ;  but  that 
the  mind,  by  fair  and  honest  pressure  on  a  perfect  organism, 
can  crush  it,  is  denied.  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  the  confine- 
ment attending  brain-work,  rather  than  brain- work  itself,  that 
does  the  damage. 

The  tension  such  as  attends  wild  speculation  is  much  more 
wearing  than  the  severest  study.  "  It  is  not  pure  brain- 
work,  but  brain  excitement,  or  brain  distress,  that  eventuates 
in  brain  degeneration  and  disease,"  says  Dr.  Crichton  Brovv^ne. 
"  Calm,  vigorous,  severe  mental  labor  may  be  far  pursued 
without  risk  or  detriment;  but  whenever  an  element  of 
feverish  anxiety,  wearing  responsibility,  or  vexing  chagrin  is 
introduced  then  come  danger  and  damage." 

Obviously  the  powerful  physique  needs  more  exercise  to 
keep  it  in  health  than  the  puny  one.  The  weak,  delicate 
woman  is  satisfied  with  little  moving  about,  while  the  strong 
man's  muscles  ache  if  they  are  long  kept  idle.  Often  we  see 
a  powerful  brain  in  a  weak  body;  but  that  is  usually  when 
the  mind  has  been  cultivated  at  the  expense  of  the  body.  A 
strong  muscular  physique  absorbs  the  nervous  force  which 
might  otherwise  be  employed  for  brain-work.  It  draws  in 
several  ways :  first,  in  bodily  exertion ;  then  if  the  exercise 
has  been  vigorous  the  mind  is  correspondingly  fatigued,  or  at 
least  unfit  to  resume  its  labors  until  the  forces  of  the  body 
resume,  to  some  extent,  their  equilibrium.  Again,  the  intel- 
lectual energies,  a  portion  of  the  time,  arc  drowned  in  sleep, 
the  system  being  meanwhile  occupied  in  the  great  work  of 
digestion,  which  obviously  draws  upon  the  nervous  forces. 


BODY   AND    MIND.  377 

As  thought  is  influenced  by  the  material  changes  of  the 
brain,  so  the  brain  is  influenced  by  the  material  changes  of 
the  body.  Food  and  the  cooking  of  it  claim  no  unimportant 
part  in  the  chemistry  of  mind.  The  psychological  effect  of 
diet  is  not  less  marked  than  the  physiological  effect.  Cookery 
colors  our  grandest  efforts.  The  trite  saying  of  the  French, 
"  C'est  la  soupe  qui  fait  le  soldat,"  applies  as  well  to  litera- 
ture as  to  war.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  with  the  revival 
of  learning  in  Italy  came  the  revival  of  cookery. 

For  the  influence  of  externals,  of  extrinsic  agencies,  of 
bodily  conditions  and  changes  on  states  of  mind,  we  have 
only  to  notice  how  our  moods  are  affected  by  hunger,  cold, 
heat,  fatigue,  by  disease,  stimulants,  and  lack  of  sleep.  Very 
sensibly  Dr.  Fothergill  remarks:  "When  the  brain  is  well 
supplied  by  a  powerful  circulation,  and  a  rich  blood  supply 
from  a  good  digestion  furnishes  it  with  an  abundance  of  pab- 
ulum, the  cares  of  life  are  borne  with  cheerfulness  and  sustained 
with  equanimity.  But  when  the  physical  condition  becomes 
affected,  a  total  and  complete  change  may  be  and  commonly 
is  induced."  And  again,  "  A  disturbance  of  the  balance  be- 
twixt the  wastes  of  the  tissues  and  the  power  to  eliminate 
such  waste  products  is  followed  by  distinct  mental  attitudes, 
in  which  things  appear  widely  remote  from  their  ordinary  as- 
pect. This  condition  is  much  more  common  than  is  ordinarily 
credited  by  the  general  public,  or  even  by  the  bulk  of  the 
profession.  The  physical  disturbances  so  produced  are  dis- 
tinct irritability  and  unreasonableness,  which  is  aggravated  by 
a  consciousness  that  there  is  an  element  of  unreason  present, — 
a  tendency  to  be  perturbed  by  sHght  exciting  causes,  the  men- 
tal disturbance  being  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  excitant." 

Yet  we  must  not  forget  that  between  the  body  and  mind 
there  are  essential  dift'erences,  so  far  as  the  acquisition  of 
strength  from  exercise  is  concerned.  Undoubtedly  the  mind, 
like  the  body,  enlarges  and  strengthens  with  exercise,  but  not 
in  the  same  proportion.  Every  arm  may,  like  the  black- 
smith's, by  power  and  persistent  effort  be  made  to  swell  and 
harden,  though  not  all  in  the  same  degree ;  and  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  beginning  with  childhood,  and  avoiding  over- 


378  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Strains,  any  mind  may  be  trained  into  something  approaching 
that  of  an  intellectual  athlete.  Toward  the  accomplishment 
of  such  a  purpose,  necessity  and  ambition,  in  that  happy  mix- 
ture found  usually  in  the  intermediate  state  between  riches 
and  poverty,  are  most  conducive  to  intellectual  gymnastics. 
The  very  rich  and  the  very  poor  are  alike  removed  —  the  one 
by  lack  of  opportunity  and  the  other  by  lack  of  inclination  — 
from  long  and  severe  mental  effort. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  while  engaged  in  a  difficult 
and  confining  work,  a  writer  is  scarcely  himself.  Body  and 
mind  are  both  in  an  abnormal  state.  Thus  it  is  that  we  find 
the  lives  of  authors  in  direct  contrast  to  their  teachings.  Yet 
this  inspiration,  this  abnormity,  or  what  you  will,  must  be  his 
who  would  aspire  to  an  intellectual  seat  above  his  fellows. 
Few  are  educated  into  greatness ;  and  though  genius  of  any 
quality  short  of  inspiration  must  have  cultivation  before  it 
has  completeness,  acquisition  alone  never  yet  made  a  man 
famous.  Nor  do  great  men  make  primary  use  of  education 
in  building  their  ladder  to  fame. 

Glance  over  the  names  of  those  most  eminent  in  England 
during  the  last  three  centuries,  and  we  find  remarkably  few 
who  went  through  a  regular  course  of  instruction  at  a  public 
school.  The  Edinburgh  Review  gives  the  names  of  twenty 
poets,  a  dozen  philosophers,  and  a  score  or  so  of  the  first 
writers  in  morals  and  metaphysics  who  were  not  educated 
at  Eton,  Rugby,  or  others  which  in  England  are  termed  pub- 
lic schools. 

Now  mental  cultivation  is  a  good  thing,  a  grand  thing,  but 
it  is  not  everything.  It  is  what  our  mother  nature  does  for 
us,  as  well  as  what  we  do  for  ourselves,  that  makes  us  what 
we  are.  All  great  men  are  men  of  natural  abilities.  If  they 
are  cultivated  so  much  the  better.  It  is  only  cultivated 
genius  that  reaches  the  highest  realms  of  art;  but  if  the 
genius  be  not  there,  no  amount  of  cultivation  will  produce  it. 
You  may  dig  and  dung  your  garden  through  twelve  succes- 
sive springs,  if  there  are  no  seeds  in  the  ground  there  will  be 


BODY   AND    MIND.  379 

no  flowers.  You  may  rub,  and  blanket,  and  train  your  horse 
until  doomsday,  if  there  be  no  speed  in  him  he  wins  no  race. 
Cultivation,  in  the  absence  of  natural  abilities,  is  like  under- 
taking to  kindle  the  edge  of  ocean  into  a  flame. 

As  to  the  personal  habits  of  authors,  they  differ  as  widely  as 
their  writings;  for  my  own  part  it  was  for  years  my  custom  to 
rise  at  seven,  breakfast  at  half-past  seven,  and  write  from  eight 
until  one,  when  I  lunched  or  dined.  The  afternoon  was  de- 
voted to  recreation  and  exercise.  Usually  I  would  write  for 
an  hour  or  two  before  a  six  o'clock  tea  or  dinner,  as  the  case 
might  be,  and  then  would  work  for  four  hours  afterward, 
making  about  ten  hours  in  all  for  the  day ;  but  interruptions 
were  so  constant  and  frequent,  that  including  the  many  long 
seasons  during  which  I  hermited  myself  in  the  country,  where 
I  often  devoted  twelve  and  fourteen  hours  a  day  to  writing, 
I  do  not  think  I  averaged  more  than  eight  hours  a  day,  tak- 
ing twenty  years  together. 

When  I  first  began  to  write,  composing  was  a  very  labored 
operation.  My  whole  mind  was  absorbed  in  how,  rather 
than  what,  to  write.  But  gradually  I  came  to  think  less  of 
myself  and  the  manner  of  expression,  and  more  of  what  I 
Avas  saying.  Comparatively  little  of  my  work  was  of  a  char- 
acter which  admitted  of  fast  writing.  When  full  of  my  sub- 
ject I  could  write  rapidly,  that  is  to  say  from  twenty  to  thirty 
short  manuscript  pages  in  a  day ;  or  counting  by  hours  and 
measuring  by  another's  capabilities,  about  one  quarter  as 
much  as  Hazlitt,  though  three  times  above  the  average.  But 
including  getting  out  and  arranging  of  my  material,  and 
studying  my  subject,  I  could  not  average  during  the  year 
more  than  eight  badly  scratched  manuscript  pages  a  day,  or 
at  the  rate  of  one  an  hour.  In  preparing  for  me  the  rough 
material  from  the  notes,  my  assistants  would  not  average 
over  four  manuscript  pages  a  day. 

"  En  ecrivant  ma  pensees,  elles  m'echappe  quelquefois," 
says  Pascal.  Sometimes  a  flood  of  thought  would  come 
rushing  in  upon  me,  like  a  torrent  overwhelming  its  banks, 


380  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

and  I  would  lose  the  greater  part  of  it ;  at  others  so  confused 
and  slothful  would  be  my  brain,  that  in  turning  over  the 
leaves  of  my  dictionary  I  would  forget  the  word  I  was  look- 
ing for.  This  was  more  particularly  the  case  during  the 
earlier  part  of  my  literary  career;  later  my  mind  became 
more  tractable,  and  I  never  waited  for  either  ideas  or 
words. 

There  are  many  methods  of  gathering  and  aiTanging  infor- 
mation and  putting  it  into  readable  shape.  The  novelist  has 
one  way,  the  specialist  another,  the  historian  a  third,  neces- 
sarily different,  and  each  varying  individually  according  to 
cast  of  mind  and  habit.  As  a  rule  the  best  plan  is  to  imbue 
the  mind  so  thoroughly  with  the  subject  to  be  treated  as  to 
be  able  first  to  arrange  the  matter  properly,  and  then  commit 
it  to  paper. 

Another  method,  though  not  perhaps  to  be  commended,  is 
to  write  reading,  and  to  read  while  writing ;  that  is,  it  is  not 
to  be  commended,  provided  one  has  the  memory  and  mental 
discipline  to  gather,  arrange,  and  retain  the  necessary  facts 
and  produce  them  as  required.  In  certain  kinds  of  writing, 
I  first  draw  from  my  own  brain  until  its  resources  are  ex- 
hausted ;  then  taking  up  one  author  after  another,  I  learn 
what  others  have  thought  and  said  upon  the  subject.  In  the 
intercourse  of  my  mind  with  other  minds,  new  thoughts  are 
engendered,  which  are  likewise  committed  to  paper,  after 
which  all  is,  or  should  be,  re- arranged  and  re-written.  Pliny 
and  others  have  said  that  one  should  read  much  but  not 
many  books.  This  was  well  enough  as  a  doctrine  before  his- 
tory and  science  had  extended  the  range  of  knowledge  be- 
yond the  limits  of  a  few  books.  Now,  to  be  well  read,  one 
must  read  many  books ;  buying  a  cyclopedia  will  not  answer 
the  purpose. 

The  first  presentiment  of  a  subject,  the  first  flush  of  an 
idea,  is  the  one  a  writer  should  never  fail  to  seize.  Like  the 
flash  and  report  of  the  signal  gun  to  the  belated  hunter,  lost 
after  night-fall  in  the  dark  forest,  the  way  for  the  moment 
seems  clear,  but  if  not  instantly  and  earnestly  followed  it  is 


BODY   AND    MIND.  38 1 

soon  lost.  Says  Goethe  in  Faust :  "  Wenn  ihr'o  nicht  fiihlt, 
ihr  werdet's  nicht  erjagen." 

Interruptions  are  fatal  to  good  work.  Even  though  one 
has  the  faculty  of  taking  up  the  thread  of  thought  where  it 
was  laid  down,  there  is  still  a  great  difference  in  the  results 
of  a  whole  day  and  of  a  broken  day's  work. 

While  at  the  library  my  time  was  greatly  broken  by  callers. 
Frequently  I  have  begun  on  Monday  morning  to  write,  and 
by  the  time  I  was  fairly  seated  and  my  thoughts  arranged, 
I  would  be  compelled  to  break  off  After  an  interval  of  a 
half  hour,  perhaps,  I  might  be  permitted  to  try  it  again,  and 
with  the  same  results.  So  passed  Monday,  Tuesday,  half  the 
week,  or  the  whole  of  it,  and  not  five  pages  written.  Often 
in  a  fit  of  desperation  I  have  seized  a  handful  of  work  and 
rushed  into  the  country,  where  I  could  count  with  some  de- 
gree of  certainty  upon  my  time.  Truly  says  Florence  Night- 
ingale, "  I  have  never  known  persons  who  exposed  themselves 
for  years  to  constant  interruptions  who  did  not  muddle  away 
their  intellects  by  it  at  last." 

On  a  certain  day  in  January,  1876, 1  left  San  Francisco  in 
one  of  these  moods  suddenly,  and  while  under  a  sense  of 
something  akin  to  despair.  It  seemed  as  though  my  work 
would  stretch  out  to  all  eternity.  While  in  the  city,  week 
after  week  passed  by  with  nothing  accomplished,  and  I  de- 
termined to  cut  loose  from  these  interruptions  at  whatever 
cost.  So,  sending  the  papers  before  me,  chiefly  memoranda 
for  general  chapters,  I  stepped  aboard  the  boat  and  that 
night  slept  at  my  father's.  The  next  day  I  sent  for  a  box  of 
Popular  Tribunals  and  other  material,  and  during  the  next 
six  weeks  of  a  simple  life,  without  interruptions,  accomplished 
more  in  a  literary  way  than  during  any  other  six  weeks  of 
my  life.  I  worked  from  ten  to  twelve  hours,  and  averaged 
twenty  pages  of  manuscript  a  day;  rode  two  hours,  except 
rainy  days  and  Sundays  ;  ate  heartily,  drank  from  half  a 
bottle  to  a  bottle  of  claret  before  retiring,  and  smoked  four 
or  five  cigars  daily.  This,  however,  was  more  of  a  strain 
than  my  system  could  bear  for  any  length  of  time.     I  did 


382  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

not  break  down  under  it ;  I  only  shifted  my  position.  The 
mind  fatigued  with  one  class  of  work  often  finds  almost  as 
much  rest  in  change  as  in  repose  j  just  as  the  laborer  by 
change  of  occupation  brings  into  play  a  new  set  of  muscles, 
giving  rest  to  the  others. 

The  glare  from  white  paper  seemed  at  times  more  trying 
to  my  eyes  than  even  constant  daily  and  nightly  use  of  them 
when  writing  on  a  dark  surface.  It  was  not  until  after  several 
years  of  suffering  that  a  simple  remedy  occurred  to  me.  My 
eyes  had  always  been  good.  I  believed  them  capable  of 
any  endurance,  and  consequently  paid  little  attention  to  them 
until  they  began  to  fail  me.  In  smoked  glass  I  found  some 
relief.    But  the  best  thing  by  far  was  the  use  of  dark  paper. 

There  were  two  possibilities  which  would  force  themselves 
upon  my  mind  at  intervals  :  One  was  fire  and  the  other  death 
before  the  completion  of  my  work.  So  unmannerly  are  these 
ruthless  destroyers  that  I  could  hope  for  no  consideration  from 
either  of  them  on  the  ground  of  necessity.  Imperious  death 
seemed  indeed  to  regard  my  labors  grudgingly :  not  less  than 
eleven  of  my  library  men  died  during  the  progress  of  my 
work;  I  could  only  solace  myself  by  working  the  harder. 
I  often  thought  of  Cuvier,  whose  paralysis  struck  him  while 
actively  engaged  in  the  arranging  of  a  large  accumulation  of 
scientific  material.  Said  he  to  M.  Pasquier,  "  I  had  great 
things  still  to  do ;  all  was  ready  in  my  head.  After  thirty  years 
of  labor  and  research,  there  remained  but  to  write,  and  now 
the  hands  fail,  and  carry  with  them  the  head."  Oh !  thou 
great  shame  of  nature;  will  no  Hercules  ever  rise  and  strangle 
thee? 

I  do  not  pretend  to  be  a  man  of  sorrows,  nor  am  I  given  to 
sourness  and  morosencss.  I  have  often  through  weariness  fallen 
into  discouragement ;  but  this  was  only  momentary.  When- 
ever I  returned  to  my  work  after  necessary  rest  it  was  always 
with  cheerful  hope.  I  would  not  have  about  me  in  my  family, 
my  library,  or  my  business  a  sighing,  despondent,  croaking 
individual.  Until  I  began  literary  life,  I  never  thought  of 
such  things  as  nervousness,  mental  strain,  and  rarely  of  my 


BODY    AND    MIND.  383 

general  health.  Most  of  all  I  despised  the  thought  of  laying 
infelicities  of  temper  at  the  door  of  mental  labor.  I  regarded 
it  as  cowardly  and  untrue.  But  after  a  time  I  was  forced  to 
change  these  opinions. 

Sometimes  the  fire  of  disease  so  kindles  the  brain  as  to 
cause  it  to  throw  off  sparkling  thoughts,  just  as  I  have  heard 
vocalists  say  that  they  could  sing  best  with  a  cold  or  a  sore 
throat,  and  speakers  that  they  were  never  so  fluent  as  v/hen 
under  the  influence  of  fever.  Instance  Douglas  Jerrold, 
whose  wit  was  never  keener,  or  his  thoughts  more  poetical, 
than  when  his  body  lay  stretched  in  suffering.  For  fifteen 
years  Edward  Mayhew  was  unable  to  use  his  limbs,  and  yet 
with  brains  alone  did  he  so  successfully  fight  life's  battle  as 
to  leave  an  undying  name. 

Often  one  is  heard  to  say  that  inspiration  comes  not  at  the 
bidding,  that  Pegasus  will  not  always  respond  to  the  whip; 
that  one's  best  is  bad  enough,  and  that  the  tired  worker  should 
stop;  that  literary  labor  is  different  from  mechanical  labor, 
and  that  the  head  should  be  made  to  work  only  when  it  feels 
inclined.  There  is  truth  in  this  doctrine,  but  there  is  likewise 
error.  At  every  turn  in  my  literary  labors  I  found  method 
essential ;  not  alone  to  utilize  the  labor  of  others,  but  to  ac- 
comphsh  satisfactory  results  of  my  own.  Though  unable  to 
work  entirely  by  the  clock  like  Southey,  who  had  not  only 
his  hours  for  writing  but  his  hour  in  each  day  for  the  several 
kinds  of  literary  occupation  resulting  in  his  hundred  and  more 
volumes,  it  would  not  answer  for  me  to  trust,  like  Coleridge, 
to  inspiration,  lest  it  should  not  come  when  needed,  nor  to  fly 
from  one  piece  of  work  to  another,  like  Agassiz,  as  fancy 
dictated. 

Yet  while  method  is  above  all  things  necessary  in  any  great 
undertaking,  there  is  such  a  thing  in  literary  effort  as  excess 
of  system,  which  tends  to  painful  monotony,  particularly  in 
the  execution  of  a  plan  which  is  to  absorb  the  best  years  of 
a  lifetime. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

EXPEDITIONS  TO  MEXICO. 

By  the  mess,  ere  these  eyes  of  mine  take  themselves  to  slomber,  ay'U 
do  gud  service,  or  ay'll  lig  i'  the  grund  for  it ;  ay,  or  go  to  death. 

— King  Henry  the  Fifth. 

SINCE  I  had  read  and  written  so  much  about  Mexico,  it  was 
but  natural  that  I  should  wish  to  go  there.  I  had  com- 
pleted the  history  of  all  that  region,  down  to  the  year  1800, 
having  at  my  disposal  an  abundance  of  material,  but  for  the 
present  century  I  knew  that  there  existed  a  mass  of  informa- 
tion which  I  did  not  possess. 

Accordingly  on  the  ist  day  of  September,  1883, 1  set  forth, 
accompanied  by  my  daughter  and  a  Mexican  servant,  for  the 
great  city  of  the  table-land,  proceeding  via  San  Antonio  and 
Laredo,  Texas.  I  took  copious  notes  of  everything  I  en- 
countered, the  table  spread  with  frijoles,  tortillas,  oUa  po- 
drida,  and  the  rest,  cooked  with  garlic  and  onions  in  rancid 
oil,  sending  forth  an  odor  the  reverse  of  appetizing;  the 
muddy  Rio  Bravo,  now  angry  and  swollen  \\\\\\  late  rains, 
which  we  had  to  cross  in  a  scow  at  the  peril  of  our  lives ;  the 
general  and  universal  dirtiness  pervading  people,  houses,  and 
streets ;  the  currency,  mostly  silver,  and  at  a  discount  of  about 
twenty-five  per  cent,  below  United  States  money  ;  the  mixed 
Spanish  and  Indian  population  and  architecture,  the  former 
of  all  shades  of  color,  most  of  the  people  ugly,  and  many  of 
them  deformed  and  absolutely  hideous,  the  latter  of  every 
grade,  from  the  Andalusian  dwelling  of  stone  or  adobe,  sur- 
rounding a  court,  to  the  suburban  hut  of  sticks  and  straw; 
the  soil,  climate,  and  resources  of  the  country ;  commerce, 
agriculture,  and  manufactures;  society,  politics,  etc.,  all  of 

384 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  385 

which  I  utiHzed  in  volume  vi.  of  my  History  of  Mexico^  and 
Avhich  I  have  not  space  to  touch  upon  here.  One  thing,  how- 
ever, I  did  not  mention,  though  it  formed  the  chief  object  of 
my  visit,  and  that  was  hbraries  and  hterature,  and  the  amount 
and  quahty  of  material  for  history  existing  in  the  republic. 

I  did  not  find  at  Monterey  such  archives  as  one  would 
expect  to  find  in  that  historic  city.  There  were  the  usual 
state  and  municipal  documents,  of  little  value  and  limited 
extent,  and,  in  answer  to  the  call  of  the  governor,  the  nucleus 
of  a  state  library  had  been  formed  by  donations.  The  best 
library  in  this  region  was  that  of  the  bishop  of  Linares,  I. 
Monies  de  Oca,  renowned  throughout  the  republic  for  his 
ability  and  learning. 

Zacatecas  has  one  of  the  finest  private  libraries  in  the 
country,  in  the  possession  of  Senor  Ortega. 

Saltillo  has  even  less  to  boast  of  than  Monterey  in  archives 
and  libraries.  With  unsurpassed  facilities  for  saving  great 
masses  of  valuable  historic  and  statistical  information,  almost 
all  has  been  allowed  to  be  carried  away  or  destroyed  through 
sheer  ignorance  and  stupidity. 

As  we  penetrate  the  country  we  are  more  and  more  struck 
with  the  phenomenon  of  a  republic  without  a  people.  There 
is  here  no  middle  class.  The  aristocracy  are  the  nation.  The 
low  are  very  low;  they  are  poor,  ignorant,  servile,  and  de- 
based, with  neither  the  heart  nor  the  hope  ever  to  attempt 
to  better  their  condition.  I  have  never  before  witnessed 
such  squalid  misery,  and  so  much  of  it.  It  surpasses  Europe, 
and  with  this  difference :  in  Europe  the  miserable  know  they 
are  miserable,  here  they  do  not.  Sit  at  the  door  of  your 
hotel,  and  you  will  see  pass  by,  as  in  a  procession  of  the 
accursed,  the  withered,  the  deformed,  the  lame,  and  the  blind, 
deep  in  debasement,  their  humanity  well-nigh  hidden  in  their 
dingy,  dirty  raiment,  form  bent  and  eyes  cast  down,  as  if  the 
light  of  heaven  and  the  eyes  of  man  were  equally  painful  — 
hunchbacks  and  dwarfs ;  little  filthy  mothers  with  little  filthy 
babes,  the  former  but  fourteen  years  old ;  and  grizzly  men 
and  women  with  tanned  and  wrinkled  skins,  bent  double, 
25 


386  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

and  hobbling  on  canes  and  crutches.  Into  such  pits  of  deep 
abasement  does  man  thrust  his  fellow  man  in  the  name  of 
civilization.  Infinitely  happier  and  better  off  were  the  people 
of  this  plateau  before  ever  a  European  saw  it. 

Saltillo  being  at  this  time  the  terminus  of  the  railway,  we 
took  private  conveyance  to  San  Luis  Potosi,  and  thence  pro- 
ceeded to  Lagos  by  stage.  For  a  beautiful  and  prosperous 
city,  though  somewhat  primitive,  being  as  yet  without  rail- 
road communication,  San  Luis  Potosi  has  few  equals  in  Mex- 
ico. Art  and  education  are  likewise  well  advanced,  the 
state  supporting,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  577  schools,  with 
12,620  pupils  in  attendance. 

I  found  here  a  man  who  had  visited  my  library  while  in  the 
United  States,  Dr.  Barroeta,  a  practising  physician,  and  pro- 
fessor of  botany  and  zoology  in  the  Scientific  Institute,  Avhich 
has  quite  an  extensive  and  valuable  museum.  The  state  and 
municipal  archives,  dating  back  to  1658,  fill  a  room  thirty  feet 
square.  El  Seminario,  or  the  Catholic  college,  has  a  well- 
kept  library  of  4500  volumes  of  theology,  law,  philosophy, 
and  history. 

But  by  far  the  best  and  most  important  collection  was  the 
San  Luis  Potosi  state  library,  called  the  Biblioteca  Puhlica  del 
Cientifico  y  Literario,  of  which  I  obtained  a  printed  catalogue 
of  about  3000  titles,  under  the  headings.  Jurisprudence,  Ec- 
clesiastical Laws,  Science  and  Art,  Belles  Lettres,  History, 
and  Theology.  The  collection  dates  from  1824.  The  laws 
and  legislative  documents  are  incomplete,  owing  to  frequent 
revolutions.  The  whole  of  the  year  1834  is  a  blank,  also  the 
period  of  the  so-called  empire,  or  French  intervention.  Be- 
sides the  Diario  Oficial  of  the  general  United  States  Mexican 
government  from  1872,  was  La  Sombra  de  Zara^oza  from 
1867,  giving  full  information  of  political  affairs  in  this  section 
to  the  overthrow  of  the  administration  of  Lerdo  de  Tejada, 
which  administration  it  sustained.  Thus  will  be  seen,  without 
furtlicr  enumeration  and  description,  what  one  might  reason- 
ably expect  to  find  in  the  state  capitals  throughout  the  republic. 
The  keeper  of  the  state  library  gathered  for  me  a  bundle  of 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  387 

documents  containing  the  most  important  information  con- 
cerning the  state  of  San  Luis  Potosi,  so  that,  by  purchase 
and  otherwise,  I  was  able  here,  and  at  other  places  along  my 
route  before  reaching  the  federal  capital,  to  add  about  500 
titles  to  my  library. 

Staging  is  in  Mexico  the  best  way  to  see  the  country, 
though  an  experience  that  few  care  to  repeat.  And  yet  it 
has  its  attractions.  Passing  down  over  the  plateau,  the 
traveller  finds  vast  areas  covered  with  hojasen,  a  kind  of 
sage-brush,  mezquite,  gobernadora,  and  agrita,  and  he  ex- 
periences a  sense  of  loneliness,  or  of  something  lacking,  away 
from  the  leading  lines  of  traffic.  An  occasional  band  of 
sheep  or  herd  of  cattle,  accompanied  by  a  herder  or  vaquero, 
alone  breaks  the  monotony.  The  land  is  fertile,  and  needs 
only  irrigation  to  support  a  large  population ;  but  one  jour- 
neys league  after  league  through  silent,  untenanted  fields, 
Avith  here  and  there  a  few  huts  or  a  cluster  of  adobes,  and  at 
intervals  an  hacienda  and  a  town.  The  owner  of  the  haci- 
enda, who  spends  little  of  his  time  on  the  premises,  holds 
from  five  to  fifty,  and  sometimes  a  hundred,  square  leagues 
of  lands ;  the  occupants  of  the  surrounding  huts  are  virtually 
liis  serfs,  though  not  legally  or  literally  so. 

Everything  strikes  a  stranger  as  old,  exceedingly  old,  and 
dirty.  The  towns  of  thatched  huts  and  tile-roofed  adobes, 
with  their  central  plaza  and  church,  market  place,  little  shops, 
and  poor  inn,  are  all  of  the  same  pattern  as  in  the  more 
pretentious  cities;  when  you  have  seen  one,  you  have  seen 
them  all. 

The  trim  plaza  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  with  its  paved 
walks  leading  to  the  fountain  in  the  centre,  orange-tree 
borders,  and  beds  of  shrubs  and  flowers,  is  usually  quite  at- 
tractive, and  in  fact,  throughout  Mexico,  the  plaza,  where  at 
dusk  the  people  gather  to  listen  to  the  music  of  the  band,  to 
walk  and  talk,  flirt  and  gossip,  is  at  once  a  unique  and 
charming  feature  of  Mexican  life. 

Few  of  the  towns  have  suburbs,  but  stop  short,  as  if  at 
a  wall,  which,  indeed,  has  encircled  many  of  ihem  at  some 


388  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

period  of  tlieir  existence,  as  protection  against  surprise  by 
marauding  bands  of  Indians  or  guerrillas.  The  region  round 
is  too  often  a  dreary  waste,  with  stretches  of  sand,  or  with 
bare-looking  cultivated  strips. 

In  most  of  the  cities.  Oriental  modes  of  architecture  are 
conspicuous,  the  Moorish,  perhaps,  predominating.  The 
houses  with  their  solid  walls  are  usually  of  one  story,  low,  with 
flat  tiled  roof,  the  better  class  built  round  a  court,  with  a  wide 
entrance,  closed  at  night  with  double  doors,  and  having  iron- 
barred  windows,  devoid  of  glass,  looking  into  the  court  and 
street,  or  often  they  are  without  windows.  The  palaces,  as 
they  are  called,  and  the  better  class  of  dwellings  are  usually 
of  two  stories,  with  colonnades,  arched,  perhaps,  in  masonry 
below  and  roofed  with  wooden  rafters  above.  The  floors 
are  usually  of  burnt-clay  tiles,  and  bare.  Outside  run  narrow 
stone  sidewalks,  frequently  worn  hollow  by  centuries  of  use. 
Though  everywhere  with  plain  and  often  forbidding  exteriors, 
there  are  dwellings  in  the  chief  cities  with  interiors  of  Oriental 
luxury  and  splendor. 

Land,  vegetation,  and  cultivation  improve  as  the  central 
and  southern  portions  of  the  republic  are  reached.  Here  are 
seen  vast  stretches  as  fertile  and  beautiful  as  any  in  the  world, 
producing  three  crops  a  year  with  irrigation ;  and  places  are 
found  of  pronounced  character,  displaying  marked  individu- 
ality, such  as  Mexico  City,  Vera  Cruz,  Qucretaro,  Oajaca, 
Guadalajara,  and  others,  some  owing  their  origin  to  mis- 
sionary convents,  some  to  the  will  of  a  rich  landholder,  some 
to  the  course  of  trade.  Elegant  villas  can  be  seen  in  the 
suburban  towns  of  the  capital,  but  there  is  scarcely  in  the  re- 
public what  would  be  known  in  the  United  States  as  a  coun- 
try-seat or  a  farm-house. 

Notwithstanding  the  monotony,  the  observer  finds  much 
that  is  exceedingly  picturesque.  The  towns  and  the  coun- 
try, the  people  and  their  surroundings,  all  present  studies. 
Here  is  foliage  filled  with  blossoms  and  loaded  with  fruit; 
here  are  fragrant  flowers  and  fantastic  parasites,  palms,  orange 
and  lemon  trees,  and  a  thousand  other  oftshoots  of  redun- 


EXPEDITIONS   TO   MEXICO.  389 

dant  nature, —  this  for  the  tierra  caliente,  and  also  for  the 
footland  cities;  and  for  the  table-lands,  colored  hills  and 
plains  covered  with  a  peculiar  vegetation.  Over  thousands 
of  leagues  you  may  travel  and  see  ten  thousand  weird  and 
fantastic  images  in  the  palm  and  the  cactus,  in  the  mirage 
and  in  the  mountain.  The  southern  sierras  are  grand,  and 
of  every  hue  and  height  and  contour. 

In  the  cities  the  churches  stand  conspicuous,  and  on  the 
streets  are  figures  of  every  form  and  pose.  Drive  into  any 
town  in  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night,  be  it  in  scorching 
summer  or  freezing  winter,  and  standing  by  the  roadside  and 
in  the  doorways  are  grim  figures  wrapped  in  scrapes  and  re- 
bozos,  motionless  and  silent,  but  always  graceful  and  pictu- 
resque. You  see  them  when  you  come  and  when  you  go,  as 
if  they  had  stood  there  since  Mexico  was  made,  and  were 
now  waiting  for  the  last  trump  to  sound. 

On  reaching  the  city  of  Mexico,  I  took  up  my  quarters  at 
the  hotel  Iturbide,  where  I  remained  four  months,  ransacking 
the  city,  and  making  excursions  in  various  directions. 

I  had  letters  of  introduction,  and  being  desirous  of  seeing 
and  learning  all  I  could  and  making  the  most  of  my  time 
among  a  notoriously  slow,  formal,  and  conventional  people,  I 
at  once  sent  them  out,  requesting  the  recipient  to  name  time 
and  place  for  an  interview. 

"  I  cannot  see  why  you  want  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  these  people,"  said  Morgan,  the  American  minister,  to  me 
one  day.  "  If  it  is  to  be  entertained  by  them,  you  will  be 
disappointed.  Here  am  I  these  three  or  four  years  represent- 
ing the  great  American  republic,  and  they  pay  not  the  sHght- 
est  attention  to  me.  Aside  from  official  intercourse  with  the 
minister  of  foreign  relations,  there  is  nothing  between  us. 
When  I  came,  the  chief  officials  called  Avhen  I  was  out  and 
left  their  cards;  I  returned  the  call  when  they  were  out  and 
left  my  card,  and  that  was  the  end  of  it." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  I  said,"  it  is  the  last  thing  on  earth  I  desire, 
to  be  entertained  by  these  or  any  other  people.      I   come 


390  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

to  Mexico  for  a  far  different  purpose.  Still,  if  I  am  so  let 
alone  as  to  feel  slighted,  it  will  be  for  the  first  time  in  my 
hfe." 

The  fact  is,  Mr.  Morgan  could  not  understand  what  it  was 
I  wanted  in  Mexico ;  nevertheless,  he  was  always  cordial  and 
accommodating. 

For  about  two  weeks  my  time  was  chiefly  occupied  in 
making  and  receiving  calls.  Among  the  first  to  visit  me  was 
Ygnacio  M.  Altamirano,  one  of  the  chief  literary  men  in 
Mexico",  who  boasts  his  pure  Aztec  blood  uncontaminated  by 
any  European  intermixture.  In  form  he  is  well  proportioned, 
a  little  below  medium  height,  features  clear-cut  and  of  pro- 
nounced type,  bright,  black  eyes,  and  skin  not  very  dark, 
intellect  briUiant,  and  tongue  fluent  of  speech. 

Altamirano  divided  the  leading  hterary  honors  of  the  cap- 
ital with  Alfredo  Chavero,  who  was  also  a  writer  of  talent. 
Altamirano  wrote  for  La  Libcrtad,  La  Repiiblka,  and  El 
Diario  del  Hogar;  any  paper  was  glad  to  get  anything  from 
Chavero.  These  men  showed  me  every  attention,  and  intro- 
duced me  to  the  members  of  the  Sociedad  de  Geografia  y 
Estatistica,  at  a  meeting  called  specially  for  that  purpose. 

Another  very  agreeable  litierateur  Avas  Irenco  Paz,  member 
of  congress,  and  proprietor  of  La  Patria,  which  has  a  daily, 
and  an  illustrated  weekly  edition,  on  the  front  page  of  which 
Senor  Paz  did  me  the  honor  to  place  my  portrait,  with  a  bio- 
graphical notice,  reviewing  my  books  in  the  other  edition. 

Most  of  the  leading  journals  and  journalists  in  Mexico  are 
under  the  immediate  pay  of  the  government.  There  has  al- 
ways been  one  notable  exception,  however,  in  El  Monitor 
Republicano,  of  which  Vicente  Garcia  Torres  was  proprietor. 
The  government  ofiered  $350  a  month  to  this  journal  as  sub- 
sidy, but  Torres  thought  he  could  do  better  to  keep  himself 
free  and  independent.  He  was  a  shrewd  man,  Seiior  Torres, 
about  seventy  years  of  age,  with  sharp,  grizzly  features,  and 
a  man  wliose  kind  services  I  shall  ever  hold  in  grateful  re- 
membrance. Besides  offering  me  his  columns,  he  went  out 
of  his  way  to  gather  material  for  my  use. 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  39 1 

I  found  in  Francisco  Sosa,  author  of  several  works,  and 
editor  of  El  Nacional,  a  man  of  ability  and  affable,  modest 
demeanor,  such  as  makes  a  stranger  wish  to  know  him  further. 

Indeed  I  met  so  many,  who  treated  me  so  cordially,  seem- 
ing to  count  it  a  pleasure  to  serve  me,  that  while  I  cannot 
pass  them  by  without  mention,  I  still  have  not  the  space  to 
devote  to  them  which  their  merits  deserve.  There  was  Vicente 
Riva  Palacio,  of  an  old  and  aristocratic  family,  occupying  a 
palatial  residence,  with  a  fine  library,  and  many  superb  Maxi- 
milian and  other  relics,  such  as  the  chair  of  Hidalgo,  and  the 
sword  of  Mina.  Here  were  the  archives  of  the  Inquisition, 
in  fifty-four  manuscript  volumes,  from  the  founding  of  the 
institution  in  Mexico  in  1570,  to  the  time  of  Independence,  say 
1 8 14.  His  house  was  a  workshop  like  my  library,  the  owner 
exercising  great  diligence,  with  men  about  him  extracting, 
arranging,  and  condensing  material  for  his  use. 

I  met  Amador  Chimalpopoca,  one  of  the  race  of  aboriginal 
rulers,  one  night  at  the  rooms  of  the  geographical  society. 
Native  American  intelligence,  ability,  brain  power,  genius,  or 
whatever  it  may  be  called,  is  apparently  no  whit  behind  the 
European  article. 

On  another  occasion  I  encountered  a  man  no  less  remark- 
able in  another  direction,  J.  E.  Hernandez  y  Davalos,  v/ho 
for  thirty-one  years  had  been  collecting  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  Mexico,  JMichoacan,  Chihuahua,  Jalisco,  Oajaca,  and 
elsewhere,  documents  relative  to  the  war  of  Independence, 
and  from  that  time  to  the  French  war.  He  states  that  he 
copied  everything  relating  to  the  subject  out  of  the  Biblioteca 
Nacional,  and  had  two  copyists  in  the  national  archives  for 
four  years.  He  was  a  poor  man  holding  some  inferior  gov- 
ernment position  with  a  small  salary ;  but  out  of  it  he  sup- 
ported his  family  and  achieved  this  great  work,  while  high 
officials  stole  millions  and  did  nothing  —  not  a  single  self- 
denying  or  praiseworthy  act  for  their  country.  Hernandez  y 
Davalos  was  often  promised  government  aid,  but  government 
officials  here,  as  elsewhere,  are  too  prone  to  promise  with  no 
intention  of  keeping  their  word.     In  fact,  Mexicans,  of  high 


392  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

or  low  degree,  are  not  remarkable  for  their  reliability.  In 
1870  this  man  had  a  small  cigar  factory  in  the  calle  de  Don- 
toribio,  worth  $700,  the  profits  from  which  gave  himself  and 
family  a  fair  support.  He  had  already  in  his  possession  many 
precious  papers,  when  there  came  one  more  valuable  than 
all  the  rest.  It  was  regarding  Hidalgo,  and  was  offered  to 
him  for  $250.  But  where  was  the  money  to  come  from  ?  He 
felt  that  he  could  not  let  slip  from  his  grasp  so  priceless  a 
treasure,  but  this  was  a  large  amount  for  him  to  raise.  He 
tried  in  vain  to  borrow  it ;  the  paper  was  worth  no  more  in 
the  market  than  that  of  any  pulque-seller.  At  last  he  actually 
sold  out  his  business  in  order  to  secure  this  document.  What 
would  become  of  the  wise  and  wealthy  of  this  world  were 
there  no  enthusiasts !  At  this  time,  18S3,  six  large  volumes  of 
these  documents  had  been  printed  by  Hernandez  y  Davalos, 
and  700  subscribers  obtained;  but  unluckily  a  paper  adverse 
to  the  character  of  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe  slipped  in,  and 
straightway  the  subscription  list  dropped  down  to  fifty.  Men 
have  been  immortalized,  with  piles  of  masonry  erected  to  their 
honor,  for  far  less  benefits  to  their  country  than  those  con- 
ferred by  this  poor  cigarmaker. 

No  small  commotion  this  same  Virgin  of  Guadalupe  has 
made  in  Mexico  first  and  last.  Her  shrine  is  at  a  small  town 
not  far  from  Mexico  city,  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  a  place  of  some 
political  fame,  the  treaty  with  the  United  States  concluding  the 
war  of  1846,  together  with  the  transfer  of  California,  having, 
among  other  things,  been  accomplished  there.  It  was  here, 
if  we  may  believe  the  holy  men  who  have  written  volumes 
on  the  subject,  that  the  Virgin  appeared  to  the  poor  Indian, 
Juan  Diego,  imprinting  her  image  on  his  blanket,  that  the  ab- 
origines of  America  as  well  as  the  aristocratic  foreigners  might 
have  her  effigy  to  worship,  and  build  her  a  church  on  the 
spot  of  her  appearing.  The  priests  jiretendcd  to  be  incred- 
ulous at  first,  but  finally  permitted  the  natives  to  have  their 
own  particular  Virgin,  as  the  latter  were  inclined  to  neglect  the 
deities  of  Spain  for  those  of  Mexico.  It  is  not  an  attractive 
place  on  an  holiday  for  a  person  of  refined  organs  or  sensitive 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO,  393 

nerves,  as  the  crowds  drawn  thither  are  by  no  means  well  be- 
haved. The  gambling  and  drinking  of  the  worshippers  after 
church  service  are  of  a  rather  low  order,  the  bets  being  small 
and  the  drink  pulque.  There  was  one  highly  respectable 
gambling  place,  however,  where  the  superior  class,  the  upper 
strata  of  society,  statesmen,  mihtary  officers,  and  com_mercial 
men  might  indulge  in  larger  stakes  at  the  tables  representing 
the  more  popular  European  games.  For  everywhere  in 
Mexico,  as  in  most  other  places,  it  is  not  vice  itself  that  is 
scourged  so  much  as  the  manner  of  indulgence.  Any  amount 
of  wickedness  is  anywhere  tolerated  so  that  it  can  be  conven- 
tional. It  is  quite  orthodox  for  the  common  people  of  Mexico 
to  get  drunk  on  pulque,  while  the  upper  classes  may  indulge 
without  limit  in  wine,  so  long  as  they  do  not  drink  in  bar-rooms 
or  tipple  throughout  the  day.  So  with  regard  to  gambling, 
cheating,  law-breaking,  unbelief,  licentiousness,  and  all  the 
crimes  and  vices  flesh  is  heir  to — let  them  be  done  decently 
and  in  order,  in  such  a  way  as  to  avoid  exposure  or  punish- 
ment, and  all  is  well. 

General  Carlos  Pacheco,  minister  of  Fomento,  who  lost 
an  arm  and  a  leg  in  the  war,  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  and 
highly  respected  throughout  the  republic.  Francisco  de 
Garay,  an  engineer  of  great  reputation  and  ability,  in  a  series 
of  conversations  gave  me  the  coloring  for  the  several  phases 
of  Mexican  history  during  the  present  century,  such  as  could 
not  be  found  in  books. 

I  found  in  the  prominent  lawyer  and  statesm.an,  Francisco 
L.  Vallarta,  a  most  serviceable  friend.  Then  there  were 
President  Iglesias  and  his  cabinet,  whom  I  entertained  in 
San  Francisco  during  their  flight  to  the  United  States,  and 
v/ho  Avere  most  cordial  in  their  greetings  and  attentions.  The 
venerable  and  learned  Prieto  was  of  their  number.  I  may 
also  mention  Jose  Maria  Vigil,  director  of  the  Biblioteca 
Nacional ;  Alberto  Lombardo,  belonging  to  one  of  the  best 
families;  Doctor  Ramon  Fernandez,  governor  of  the  district; 
General  Naranjo,  acting  secretary  of  war  and  navy ;  Juan 
Toro,  postmaster  general ;  Vicente  E.  Manero,  architect  and 


394  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

engineer ;  Felipe  Gerardo  Cazeneuve,  proprietor  of  El  Mun- 
da?io ;  Joaquin  Garcia  Icazbalceta,  with  a  beautiful  house 
and  fine  library,  whose  works  were  freely  used  and  quoted 
in  my  Native  Races ;  Jose  Ceballos,  president  of  the  senate; 
Jesus  Fuentes  y  Muhiz,  minister  of  the  Hacienda;  Luis 
Siliceo ;  Juan  Yndico,  keeper  of  the  archives  of  the  district 
of  Mexico ;  Jesus  Sanchez,  director  of  the  museum,  and  a 
host  of  others.  Icazbalceta  is  more  bibliographer  than  writer; 
he  cleans  the  pages  of  his  old  books,  restores  lost  and  faded 
cuts  with  pen  and  ink,  and  even  set  up  with  his  own  hands 
the  type  for  one  of  his  reprints.  Manuel  Romero  Rubio, 
father-in-law  of  the  late  president,  introduced  me  to  Porfirio 
Diaz,  and  he  to  President  Gonzalez.  From  General  Diaz, 
the  foremost  m.an  in  the  republic,  I  took  a  two  weeks'  dicta- 
tion, employing  tv/o  stenographers,  and  yielding  400  pages 
of  manuscript.  Naturally,  during  this  time,  and  subsequently, 
I  became  well  acquainted  with  the  Diaz  family,  dining  fre- 
quently there,  and  with  the  father  of  the  charming  wife  of 
the  president,  whose  home  was  one  of  the  most  elegant  in 
the  capital. 

Romero  Rubio,  then  president  of  the  senate,  formerly 
minister  of  foreign  affairs,  and  subsequently  minister  under 
Diaz,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  wealthy  and  aristocratic  Mexi- 
can; grave  and  somewhat  distant  in  his  demeanor;  yet  kind 
and  cordial  among  friends,  and  punctilious  in  the  perform- 
ance of  every  duty,  pubhc  and  private. 

Porfirio  Diaz  appears  more  like  an  American  than  a  Mexi- 
can. In  the  hall  of  the  municipality  and  district  of  Mexico 
arc  portraits  of  all  the  rulers,  vice-regal  and  republican, 
from  Cort6s  to  Diaz.  And  between  the  first  and  the  last  are 
some  points  of  resemblance.  Cortes  made  the  first  conquest, 
Diaz  the  last.  The  former  chose  Oajaca  as  his  home;  the 
latter  was  born  there.  In  the  portrait  of  Cortes,  the  finest  I 
have  seen,  the  conqueror  is  represented  as  quite  old,  toward 
the  end  of  life,  when  the  pride  of  gratified  ambition  had  been 
somewhat  obliterated  by  the  machinations  of  enemies,  the 
neglect  of  his  sovereign,  and  the  jealousy  of  courtiers.     There 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  395 

is  present  less  of  the  strong  man  triumphant  than  of  the  strong 
man  humihated.  Diaz  has  had  his  triumphs;  perhaps  his 
humihations  are  yet  to  come.  Few  great  men  escape  them 
toward  the  end  of  their  career ;  indeed  they  seem  necessary, 
in  the  economy  of  poHtics,  to  terminate  the  efforts  of  over- 
ambitious  men,  whose  pretensions  would  otherwise  know  no 
bounds. 

The  two  great  receptacles  of  knowledge,  ancient  and 
modern,  historical,  scientific,  and  religious,  in  the  Mexican 
capital,  and  which  make  the  heart  of  the  student,  investiga- 
tor, or  collector,  to  quail  before  him,  are  the  Biblioteca  Na- 
cional,  or  national  library,  and  the  Archivo  General  y  Publico 
de  la  Nacion,  or  national  archives. 

The  Biblioteca  Nacional  occupies  a  large  building,  for- 
merly a  church,  part  of  the  walls  of  one  portion  of  it  having 
been  worked  over  until  it  has  quite  a  modern  and  imposing 
aspect.  To  enter  the  library,  as  at  this  time  arranged,  you 
pass  through  a  well-kept  garden  into  a  large  room,  with  ir- 
regular sides  and  angles,  well  filled  with  books.  At  tables  are 
usually  ten  or  twenty  persons  reading  or  writing.  Thence 
through  a  small  door  in  the  wall  you  may  pass  into  the  main 
building,  or  rather  the  main  library  room,  on  either  side  of 
which  are  ranges  of  lesser  rooms ;  each  holding  one  of  the 
sections,  or  part  of  a  section,  into  which  the  library  is  divided. 
The  volumes  nominally  number  130,000,  folios  in  vellum 
largely  predominating,  nine  tenths  of  which  are  of  no  value 
from  any  standpoint.  Throw  out  these,  and  the  many  dupli- 
cates, and  the  number  is  not  so  imposing. 

The  sections,  or  principal  divisions,  are  eleven,  namely,  bib- 
liography, theology,  philosophy,  jurisprudence,  mathematics, 
natural  science  and  physics,  medical  science,  technolog}^, 
philology  and  belles  lettres,  history,  and  periodical  literature. 

Senor  Vigil  wrote  out  for  me  a  very  interesting  historical 
description  of  this  institution.  The  library  was  formed,  to  a 
great  extent,  from  the  old  libraries  of  the  university,  the  ca- 
thedral, and  the  several  convents  of  the  city.  The  edifice  was 
the  ancient  temple  of  San  Augustin,  and  is  still  undergoing 


396  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

changes  and  repairs  to  meet  the  present  purpose.  On  the 
posts  of  the  fence  surrounding  the  grounds  are  busts  of  nota- 
ble authors,  Veytia,  Navarrete,  Alzate,  Pena,  Alaman,  and 
Clavijero;  also  Cardoso,  Gongora,  Pesado,  Couto,  Najera, 
Ramirez,  Tafle,  Gosostiza,  Gaspio  ;  and  the  illustrious  abor- 
iginals displaying  features  fully  as  refined  and  intelligent 
as  the  others,  Nezahualcoyotl,  Ixtlilxochitl,  and  Tezozomoc. 
In  the  reading  room  are  statues  of  those  whose  names  mark 
the  development  of  human  thought,  according  to  the  esti- 
mate hereabout :  Confucius,  Ysarias,  Homer,  Plato,  Aristotle, 
Cicero,  Virgil,  Saint  Paul,  Origen,  Dante,  Alarcon,  Coperni- 
cus, Descartes,  Cuvier,  and  Humboldt. 

The  library  is  open  from  ten  to  five,  and  free ;  annual 
revenue  for  new  books  $8000 ;  the  attaches  are  one  director, 
two  assistants,  four  book  clerks,  a  chief  of  workmen,  a  paleo- 
grafo,  eight  writers,  a  conserje,  gardener,  porter,  and  three 
mozos. 

All  the  work  on  the  building,  ornamentation,  statues,  and 
furniture,  has  been  done  by  Mexican  artisans  and  artists. 
The  labor  of  classifying  and  arranging  the  books  was  long 
and  severe.  It  was  found,  on  opening  boxes  which  had  been 
packed  and  stored  for  fifteen  years,  that  there  were  many 
broken  sets  which  never  could  be  completed. 

Far  more  important  for  history,  if  not,  indeed,  the  most 
important  collection  on  the  continent,  is  the  Archive  de  la 
Nacion.  I  found  here  in  charge  my  old  friend  Justino 
Rubio,  under  whose  superintendence  extensive  copying  of 
manuscripts  and  documents,  nowhere  else  existing,  has  been 
done  in  times  past  for  my  library.  It  did  not  require  the 
permission  of  the  secretary  of  foreign  relations,  so  readily 
accorded  to  me,  to  enable  me  to  visit  and  extract  from  these 
archives  at  pleasure. 

The  national  archives  occupy  eleven  rooms  in  one  section 
of  the  palace,  pretty  solidly  filled  with  materials  for  history, 
mostly  in  documentary  form,  though  there  are  some  printed 
books.  The  first  or  main  room  contains  something  over  3000 
volumes,  relating  to  land-titles  and  Vt'ater-rights  from  1534  to 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  397 

1820.  Among  the  many  points  of  interest  in  this  collection 
are  200  volumes  relating  to  the  Spanish  nobility  in  Mexico; 
the  branch  of  Merced,  or  concessions  of  lands  to  private  per- 
sons; a  royal  cedula  branch,  comprising  227  volumes  from 
1609,  Some  rooms  are  filled  entirely  with  manuscripts. 
The  section  on  history  contains  much  material  relating  to 
California  and  the  internal  provinces,  from  which  I  have 
largely  copied.  There  are  no  less  than  200  volumes  on 
northern  history  alone,  and  1000  volumes  of  military  reports 
to  viceroys,  little  from  which  has  ever  been  published. 

The  founding  of  this  institution  may  properly  date  from 
1823,  though  it  has  a  more  extended  history  before  than  after 
that  time,  while  for  some  time  subsequent  to  the  independence 
little  attention  was  paid  to  it. 

I  believe  it  was  the  Count  Revillagigedo  who,  in  1790, 
conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  in  Mexico  a  depository 
similar  to  the  Archives  of  the  Indies  in  Spain.  Chapultepec 
Avas  talked  of  as  the  place  for  it,  and  two  years  later,  through 
his  minister,  the  Marques  de  Bajamar,  the  king  ordered  the 
thing  done.  It  seems  that  the  government  documents  had 
been  mostly  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  1692,  and  for  a  half  cen- 
tury thereafter  few  were  saved. 

Copious  indexes  were  early  made  of  the  material,  thus  ad- 
ding greatly  to  its  value.  I  notice  some  of  the  headings,  as 
tobacco,  excise,  duties,  pulque,  ayuntamiento,  department  of 
San  Bias,  of  the  Californias,  audiencia,  mines,  military,  etc. 
To  Revillagigedo,  likewise,  the  world  is  indebted  for  the  im- 
portant work  in  32  folio  volumes,  begun  in  1780,  and  entitled 
Memorias  para  la  Historia  Uftiversal  de  la  America  Septen- 
trional, sent  by  the  viceroy  to  Spain.  For  some  time  after 
Revillagigedo's  rule,  his  successors  paid  little  attention  to  the 
archives,  so  that  little  more  was  done  until  after  independence 
had  been  achieved. 

The  first  building  occupied  by  the  archives  was  the  old 
Secretaria  del  Verreynato,  later  used  by  the  ministry  of  Re- 
laciones.  Part  of  the  collection  was  deposited  in  the  convent 
of  Santo  Domingo,  whence  many  were  stolen. 


398  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

Among  those  who  fully  appreciated  the  value  of  these  trea- 
sures, and  the  importance  of  having  them  properly  arranged 
and  cared  for,  was  Jose  Mariano  de  Salas,  who  in  1846  printed 
in  Mexico  a  Reglamento,  setting  forth  their  value,  not  alone 
for  the  protection  of  the  rights  of  property,  but  as  a  nucleus 
for  a  vast  amount  of  further  information  which  might  be  se- 
cured and  saved. 

An  inventory  was  ordered,  and  a  schedule  made  of  material 
elsewhere  existing  that  should  be  lodged  there.  The  latter 
included  ministerial  affairs,  government  and  war  correspon- 
dence, etc.  The  material  was  now  divided  into  two  parts, 
one  relating  to  affairs  before  the  declaration  of  independence, 
and  one  subsequent  thereto.  Both  epochs  were  then  divided 
into  four  parts  corresponding  to  the  four  secretaries  of  state, 
namely,  memoirs,  law,  landed  property,  and  war.  Each  of 
these  subjects  was  divided  into  sections,  the  first  external  and 
internal  government,  the  second  law  and  ecclesiastical,  the 
third  property  rights,  and  the  fourth  war  and  maritime  mat- 
ters. All  these  were  again  divided,  and  subdivided,  into  affairs 
civil,  commercial,  political,  and  so  on. 

Of  this  institution  I  obtained  direct  and  important  infor- 
mation, far  more  than  I  can  print.  I  learned,  for  instance, 
that  under  title  of  the  Inquisition  are  218  volumes  of  procesos 
against  priests  for  temptation  in  the  confessional,  for  matri- 
monial deceits,  blasphemies,  heresies,  and  upon  genealogy 
and  purity  of  blood.  Under  the  heading  Jesuits,  is  a  volume 
telling  of  the  extinction  of  the  order  in  Mexico.  Under  title 
of  the  religious  orders  of  California,  is  a  volume  on  their 
foundation  in  1793.  Then  there  are  the  archives  of  the  mint, 
of  the  renta  de  tabaco,  etc. 

The  municipal  archives,  or  the  archives  of  the  district  of 
Mexico,  Juan  Yndico  keeper,  consist  of  city  documents  ac- 
cumulated during  the  past  200  years.  The  greater  portion  of 
those  which  previously  existed  were  burned  in  the  fire  of  1692. 

Among  other  libraries  of  historic  interest,  I  may  mention 
those  of  Basalio  Perez,  Agreda,  and  San  Ildefonso,  the  last 
named  formerly  the  collection  of  the  cathedral. 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  399 

The  public  library  of  Toluca,  comprising  some  8000  vol- 
umes, is  prolific  in  chronicles  of  the  old  convents.  Indeed, 
Mexico  has  many  libraries  containing  important  historic  data, 
notwithstanding  the  chaft'  the  monks  imbedded  them  in.  In 
this  sense  there  are  many  rare  and  valuable  books  throughout 
the  republic ;  but  of  the  class  commonly  called  rare  by  col- 
lectors and  bibliographers,  most  have  been  carried  away. 
Seiior  Olaguibel  printed  a  book  entitled  Impresioncs  Celebres 
y  Libros  Raros.  In  it  is  a  chapter  devoted  to  rare  books  in 
Mexico,  which  indeed  says  little  except  that  there  are  no  rare 
books  in  Mexico.  We  are  soberly  told,  however,  that  some 
one  has  reprinted  the  life  of  Junipero  Serra,  which  is  the 
foundation  of  California  History ! 

In  the  beautiful  and  very  religious  city  of  Puebla  is  the 
Colegio  de  Estado,  with  a  library  of  20,000  volumes,  the 
institution  having  the  usual  departments  of  natural  history, 
chemistry,  Latin,  Greek,  etc.  The  buildings,  formerly  a 
convent,  are  antique  and  cover  a  large  area,  having  among 
other  attractions  a  well  shaded  and  watered  garden,  with 
fountains  and  gold  fish.  Here  are  200  students ;  the  place 
could  easily  accommodate  a  thousand. 

In  the  Puebla  state  library,  before  mentioned,  is  a  volume 
of  original  letters  of  Morelos ;  also  several  other  volumes  of 
valuable  documents  relating  to  the  days  of  independence, 
1810-21.  General  documents  run  from  1764  to  1858. 
There  are  two  volumes  of  royal  cedulas  1527  to  1818;  also 
two  volumes  of  papers  relating  to  the  trial  of  the  priest  Mier, 
who  preached  against  the  Guadalupe  Virgin. 

Another  large  building  in  another  part  of  the  city  is  called 
the  school  of  medicine,  in  which  is  a  general  library  of  26,000 
volumes,  but  containing,  as  most  of  them  do,  more  theology 
than  anything  else. 

On  a  cool,  dry,  December  evening,  as  the  sun  was  sinking 
behind  the  skirts  of  Popocatepetl,  I  found  myself  standing 
upon  the  summit  of  the  hill  of  Cholula,  amidst  the  porcelain- 
planted  graves,  drooping  pines,  and  stunted  rose-bushes,  in 


400  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

front  of  the  church  with  its  dilapidated  wall  and  large  open 
reservoir.  It  is  a  rugged,  uneven  elevation,  rising  solitary- 
some  two  hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  and  is  evidently  partly 
the  work  of  nature  and  partly  of  man.  The  winding  roadway, 
half  of  it  paved  smooth  with  stones  and  half  in  form  of  broad 
steps,  is  bordered  by  a  thrifty  growth  of  grass,  which  also  crops 
forth  upon  little  benches,  and  the  thick  shrubbery  that  covers 
the  hillside  is  freely  sprinkled  with  the  cactus  and  pepper-tree. 
Popocatepetl,  or  Smoking  Mountain,  rises  before  me,  and  next 
to  it  the  scarcely  less  imposing  peak  of  Iztaccihuatl,  The 
White  Woman,  she  of  the  recumbent  figure;  while  in  the  op- 
posite direction,  over  the  glittering  domes  of  distant  Puebla, 
stands  Orizaba,  also  white-crested,  and  winged  by  fleecy  clouds. 

At  my  feet  Hes  the  town  of  Cholula,  with  its  long  lines  of 
intersecting  ditches,  as  Cortes  first  saw  them,  marking  the  di- 
visions of  corn-fields,  and  garden-patches  lined  with  maguey. 
It  is  a  miserable  place,  made  up  of  hovels  and  churches,  one 
view  of  which  tells  the  story  of  life, —  how  the  poor,  in  the 
small,  uncomfortable  houses,  pinch  themselves  to  sustain  a 
costly  service  in  the  great  temples,  and  add  to  their  splendor. 
If  I  mistake  not,  God  would  be  better  pleased  with  smaller 
churches,  fewer  priests,  and  larger  and  more  comfortable 
dwellings  for  his  people. 

The  whole  of  this  immense  and  rich  valley,  alternately  the 
prey  of  contending  armies  since  the  advent  of  Cortes,  and 
now  for  the  first  time  learning  the  arts  of  peace,  is  greatly 
given  to  religion,  as  it  used  to  be  even  in  the  remote  times 
of  Toltec  sway,  when  pilgrims  flocked  from  afar  to  the  shrine 
of  the  Feathered  Serpent.  Casting  my  eyes  around  over  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  in  Mexico,  I  count  two  score 
villages  marked  by  the  tall,  white  towers  of  thrice  as  many 
churches;  some  indeed  being  nothing  more  than  hamlets  with 
half  a  dozen  dingy  little  houses  cringing  beside  a  great  dingy 
church,  some  sheltered  by  trees  and  shrubbery,  others  standing 
solitary  in  the  open  plain. 

I  thought  Puebla  had  houses  of  worship  enough  for  all, 
with  her  sixty  or  seventy  temples  of  every  imaginable  style, 


EXPEDITIONS   TO    MEXICO.  40 1 

high-domed  and  broad-spreading  edifices,  about  one  for  every 
thousand  of  the  half-naked  and  barefooted  natives  who  are 
called  upon  to  support  them  and  their  three  hundred  priests. 
The  state  prison  is  part  church ;  in  the  house  of  maternity  is 
a  church ;  the  state  college  was  once  a  convent  forming  part 
of  a  church  edifice ;  and  the  cathedral,  though  smaller  than 
the  one  in  Mexico,  is  accounted  richer  within. 

But  for  all  this,  famous,  squalid  little  Cholula,  according 
to  the  population,  outdoes  Puebla.  There  is  the  little  church 
with  its  two  towers  and  large  bells  on  the  historic  hill,  rusty 
without,  but  elaborately  gilded  within,  and  the  large  church 
amidst  the  houses  below,  near  where  the  worshippers  congre- 
gate to  see  the  bull-fight  after  service,  and  one  to  the  right 
and  another  to  the  left,  and  half  a  dozen  more  on  every  side, 
the  simultaneous  ringing  of  whose  bells  at  the  hour  of  blazing, 
tropical  afterglow  might  lead  one  to  suppose  the  world  to  be 
on  fire.  This  must  indeed  have  been  a  foul  spot  of  Satan's 
to  require  such  long  and  elaborate  cleansing ;  for  hereabout 
once  stood  no  less  than  four  hundred  heathen  temples ;  but  I 
would  rather  see  restored  and  preserved  some  of  those  archi- 
tectural monuments,  albeit  in  good  truth  temples  of  Satan, 
which  capped  this  pyramid  in  aboriginal  times,  than  a  thou- 
sand of  the  earth-bestrewed  edifices  reared  to  his  confounding 
at  the  cost  of  pinched  toilers. 

As  I  thus  stood,  I  fancied  I  could  see  marching  through 
the  same  long  white,  radiating  streets  the  ancient  processions 
with  their  dismal  chant  and  clang  of  instruments,  coming 
hither  from  all  directions  to  the  sacrifice.  I  fancied  I  could 
see  the  bodies  of  the  victims  tumbled  over  the  steeps  as  the 
blood-besmeared  priests  held  aloft  the  palpitating  heart,  while 
all  the  people  raised  their  voices  in  loud  hosannas.  And  I 
could  easily  imagine  the  good  god  Quetzalcoatl  here  taking 
leave  of  his  people,  even  as  did  Christ,  promising  meantime 
to  return  with  new  and  celestial  benefits. 

All  the  while  I  was  in  Mexico  I  gathered  books,  took  dic- 
tations, and  wrote  down  my  thoughts  and  observations.  With 
some  difiiculty  I  succeeded  in  obtaining  enough  of  the  leading 
26 


402  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

jouiTials  published  in  Mexico  since  1800  to  make  a  continu- 
ous file  of  the  events  of  the  day  from  the  opening  of  the 
century  to  the  present  time.  These  series  of  newspapers, 
each  taking  up  the  thread  where  in  another  it  was  broken  off, 
proved  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  my  work. 

This  expedition  added  to  my  library  some  8000  volumes. 
Three  years  later  I  made  a  second  trip  to  Mexico,  chiefly  to 
verify  certain  statements  and  add  a  few  points  prior  to  closing 
the  last  volume  of  my  History  of  Mexico.  The  railway  being 
completed,  the  journey  was  nothing ;  and  being  brief  and 
without  special  significance,  I  will  inflict  no  detail  of  it  on 
the  reader. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

TOWARD   THE  END. 

Careless  of  censure,  nor  too  fond  of  fame  ; 

Still  pleased  to  praise,  yet  not  afraid  to  blame  ; 

Averse  alike  to  flatter,  or  offend ; 

Not  free  from  faults,  nor  yet  too  vain  to  mend. — Pope. 

I  HAD  hoped  to  close  my  library  to  general  work,  and  dis- 
miss my  assistants  by  January  i,  18S7.  I  had  yet  several 
years  of  work  to  do  myself,  in  any  event,  but  I  thought  if  I 
could  stop  the  heavy  library  outlay  of  one  to  two  thousand 
dollars  a  month,  I  should  feel  more  inclined  to  take  life 
easier,  with  less  nervous  haste  and  strain  in  my  work. 

Several  causes  combined  to  prevent  this.  As  is  usually 
the  case,  the  completion  of  my  history  consumed  more  time 
than  I  had  anticipated,  the  necessary  re-writing  and  revision, 
not  to  mention  numberless  delays  growing  out  of  the  cares 
and  vicissitudes  of  business,  being  beyond  calculation.  The 
truth  is,  in  looking  back  upon  my  life  and  its  labors,  I  cannot 
but  feel  that  I  never  have  had  a  full  and  fair  opportunity  to 
do  my  best,  to  do  as  good  work  as  I  am  capable  of  doing, 
certainly  not  as  finished  work  as  I  might  do  with  less  of  it 
and  more  time  to  devote  to  it,  with  fewer  cares,  fewer  inter- 
ruptions. I  have  often  wondered  what  I  might  have  accom- 
plished, had  I  not  been  forced  to  "  write  history  on  horse- 
back," as  General  Vallejo  terms  it.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
have  had  much  to  be  thankful  for,  and  can  only  submit  my 
work  to  the  world  for  what  it  is  worth. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  I  had  thus  far  done,  there  was  yet 
this  one  thing  lacking,  and  as  the  end  of  my  labors  was 
drawng  near,  and  I  was  looking  forward  to  a  period  of  rest, 


404  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES, 

the  thought  forced  itself  more  and  more  upon  my  mind. 
This  was  the  necessity  of  a  work  supplementary  to  the  history 
proper,  in  which  the  lives  of  those  who  had  made  the  country 
what  it  is  should  receive  fuller  treatment. 

The  development  and  conditions  here  were  peculiar,  and 
in  their  historical  elucidation  must  be  met  in  the  plainest, 
most  practical,  and  fitting  way.  Within  the  present  half 
century  a  vast  wilderness  had  been  transformed  into  fields  of 
the  foremost  civilization,  by  men  of  whom  many  were  yet 
living.  Since  the  world  began  no  such  feat  had  ever  been 
accomplished  within  so  short  a  time;  obviously  none  such 
could  ever  occur  again,  the  engendering  conditions  not  being 
present.  Hundreds  of  years  Avere  required  to  build  up  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  other  hundreds  to  carrying  civilization  into 
Germany  and  England;  and  all  midst  fanatical  wars  and 
horrible  human  butcheries  such  as  should  put  to  blush  the 
face  of  man. 

But  in  the  development  of  our  own  thrice-favored  land, 
this  westernmost  America,  there  were  no  wars,  except  the 
war  of  mind  over  matter,  or  civilization  over  savagism. 
There  was  no  physical  bondage  or  intellectual  coercion. 
Yet,  turning  to  our  towns  and  cities,  our  fruitful  fields  and 
orchards  and  gardens,  with  their  thousands  of  happy  homes ; 
our  railways,  and  irrigating  canals ;  our  mines,  manufactures, 
and  commerce;  our  government  and  social  condition,  we 
find  accomplished  within  these  fifty  years  what  has  taken 
other  nations  ten  or  twenty  times  as  long. 

True,  we  had  a  record  of  their  experiences  as  a  foundation 
upon  which  to  build  our  new  experiences  in  this  fair  wilder- 
ness; otherwise  it  could  not  have  been  done.  But  for  all 
that  it  was  a  great  and  good  thing  to  build  here  as  we  have 
built,  thus  making  proper  avail  of  our  high  privileges.  And 
are  not  the  men  who  have  quietly  and  patiently  wrought  out 
this  grand  accomplishment,  each  laboring  after  his  own  fash- 
ion and  for  his  own  immediate  purposes — are  they  not  as 
much  entitled  to  prominence  and  praise  as  the  greatest  of 
conquerors  or  statesmen  ?     Is  it  not  as  interesting  to  us,  the 


TOWARD   THE    END.  405 

Study  of  their  characters  ?  Is  it  not  as  profitable  for  us  to 
follow  them  in  their  good  deeds  as  to  follow  the  others  in 
their  good  and  evil  deeds  ? 

It  was  therefore  deemed  absolutely  essential,  before  it 
could  be  said  that  a  proper  historical  presentation  had  been 
made  of  the  country  and  those  who  had  made  it,  of  the  em- 
pire and  the  builders  of  empire,  that  the  history  have  a 
biographical  section,  devoted  primarily  to  the  men  as  the 
historical  section  proper  is  devoted  primarily  to  the  events. 
For  it  is  as  inexpedient  to  stop  the  flow  of  the  narrative  of 
events  with  a  lengthy  and  elaborate  analysis  of  character,  as 
it  is  to  break  into  an  entertaining  and  instructive  biography 
with  a  too  lengthy  narrative  of  events. 

At  the  same  time,  here  was  an  opportunity  to  do  much 
better  than  simply  present  a  collection  of  detached  biogra- 
phies of  the  most  influential  and  prominent  personages  after 
the  usual  form,  howsoever  valuable  such  a  work  might  be  in 
connection  with  the  history.  What  would  make  it  tenfold 
more  interesting  and  valuable  would  be  to  take  one  by  one 
the  more  important  of  these  men  of  strength  and  influence, 
and,  after  a  thorough  character  study,  place  their  portraits  in 
proper  form  and  color  in  the  midst  of  the  work  which  they 
have  done,  and  in  company  with  kindred  industries  accom- 
plished by  others,  and  round  the  whole  throw  a  framework 
of  history.  Here,  then,  are  embalmed  in  the  annals  of  their 
own  time  and  country  the  men  or  their  deeds,  there  to  remain, 
the  benefits  and  blessings  conferred  during  life  thus  being 
made  perpetual. 

In  the  text  and  foot-notes  of  the  history  I  had  interwoven 
much  material  of  a  biographical  nature — all  that  the  narra- 
tive could  fairly  carry.     But  this  was  not  enough. 

It  seemed  not  right  or  just  that  in  a  history  of  this  country 
giving  the  full  details  of  industrial  and  social  development, 
the  events  should  render  subordinate  to  so  large  an  extent  the 
men  who  had  made  the  events. 

The  importance  of  biography  is  not  ever}'where  fully  ap- 
preciated.    Surely  in  preserving  the  annals  of  a  country,  and 


406  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

especially  its  earlier  annals,  it  is  necessary  to  posterity  that  the 
stories  of  the  lives  of  men  of  strength  or  influence  in  the  com- 
munity should  be  told  for  the  benefit  of  those  now  living,  and 
of  those  who  shall  come  after  them.  The  man  of  energy 
and  ability  is  a  factor  in  the  affairs  of  his  country.  No  one 
can  achieve  high  and  permanent  success  without  benefiting 
others.  Upon  the  events  and  actualities  which  surround  the 
individual,  and  which  he  himself  has  made,  he  leaves  his  im- 
press, which  is  his  life,  his  true  being,  the  crystallization  of  his 
thoughts,  the  m.aterial  expression  of  his  capability.  The  man 
himself  may  soon  be  forgotten,  and  his  place  filled  by  others, 
but  his  successors,  whether  they  know  it  or  not,  are  contin- 
uing the  work  which  he  began,  and  building  on  the  foundation 
v/hich  he  had  laid.  A  record  of  personal  experiences  is  of 
importance  to  the  country  as  showing  by  what  means  the  man 
has  accomplished  certain  results,  thus  enabling  others  to  do 
likewise  or  better.  "A  noble  life  put  fairly  on  record  acts 
like  an  inspiration  to  others,"  says  Samuel  Smiles.  And  again, 
"  The  great  lesson  of  biography  is  to  show  what  a  man  can 
do  and  be  at  his  best " ;  while  Beecher  terms  biography  the 
home  aspect  of  history. 

After  securing  all  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life  for  him- 
self and  his  family,  for  what  does  a  man  further  labor  ?  If 
of  a  miserly  disposition,  he  works  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  ac- 
cumulating money.  But  if  intelligent  and  public-spirited,  he 
continues  his  labors  for  their  beneficial  effects,  and  for  the  in- 
terest and  pride  he  takes  in  them.  Now,  it  is  evident  that 
if  these  beneficial  effects  of  a  man's  life  can  be  rendered  per- 
petual, it  is  important  that  this  should  be  done,  and  it  can  be 
done  only  by  writing  out  the  acts  and  experiences  of  a  man's 
life  in  the  form  of  a  biography,  and  placing  that  biography 
in  history. 

The  advantages  of  history  are  manifold  and  obvious. 
Without  the  recorded  experiences  of  the  race  there  could  be 
no  accumulation  of  knowledge ;  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
past  there  could  be  no  improvement  in  the  future.  So  with 
biography,  which  is  but  a  part  of  history.     Every  man  of 


TOWARD    THE    END.  407 

marked  intelligence,  wealth,  and  influence  assists  in  making 
history  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  according  to  what  he  ac- 
complishes. He  cannot  help  doing  this,  for  history  is  the 
record  of  what  men  do.  Nor  should  that  record  be  delayed 
until  they  have  passed  away.  No  one  can  call  up  the  facts 
and  intuitions  of  a  man's  life,  the  theory  and  practice  of  his 
achievements,  so  well  as  the  man  himself;  and  to  arrange 
those  facts,  analyze  the  intuitions,  elucidate  the  benefits  of 
what  has  been  accomplished,  and  weave  the  whole  into  an 
instructive  and  entertaining  narrative,  requires  a  writer  pos- 
sessed of  ability,  enthusiasm,  and  experience. 

But  to  return  to  the  history  proper.  I  had  long  had  in 
view  a  visit  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  Colorado  region,  and  in 
August,  1884,  in  company  with  my  wife  and  family,  took  up 
my  quarters  at  the  Continental  hotel  in  the  city  of  the  saints, 
remaining  there  for  six  weeks. 

There  was  much  ill  feeling  existing  at  the  time  between 
the  Mormons  and  gentiles,  the  government  being  apparently 
in  earnest  in  putting  down  polygamy,  while  the  Mormons 
were  just  as  determined  to  maintain  that  institution  or  die  in 
the  attempt.  It  was  just  upon  the  border,  in  point  of  time,  of 
the  long  season  of  prosecution  and  persecution,  of  litigations 
and  imprisonments,  which  has  not  a  parallel  in  American 
annals. 

We  were  not  there,  however,  to  take  part  in  any  contro- 
versy; we  had  come  simply  to  gather  facts,  observe,  study, 
and  meditate  upon  this  strange  social  problem.  I  should 
probably  have  known  long  ere  this  how  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion, What  is  Mormonism  ?  but  I  did  not.  Nor  would  there 
be  entire  unanimity  among  divines  in  answering  the  questions, 
What  is  Methodism  ?  or  Mohammedism  ?  Very  shallow  ideas 
the  world  has  in  relation  to  the  dogmas  it  fights  and  bleeds 
for,  on  one  side  or  the  other.  There  was  fighting  enough  for 
dogmas  in  Salt  Lake  City  in  the  year  1884.  There  were  few 
like  Christ,  to  love  their  enemies,  or  turn  the  other  cheek 
when  one  was  smitten. 


408  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

We  saw  much  of  the  leaders  on  both  sides,  were  enter- 
tained by  gentiles  and  Mormons,  and  entertained  them  in 
return;  we  listened  attentively,  but  said  little;  it  was  no 
wonder,  therefore,  that  we  were  regarded  somewhat  sus- 
piciously by  both  sides.  All  this  was  of  small  consequence, 
however,  beside  the  accomplishment  of  our  mission,  which 
was  fully  done  in  every  particular.  There  was  little  the 
Mormons  would  not  do  for  us ;  there  was  little  we  desired  at 
the  hands  of  the  gentiles,  since  from  their  standpoint  I  had 
already  gathered  all  the  information  that  was  to  be  had. 

Notwithstanding  the  large  mass  of  material,  printed  matter, 
manuscripts,  journals,  dictations,  and  special  investigations 
which  had  been  sent  to  me,  there  were  still  gaps  in  my  work 
that  I  wanted  filled.  John  Taylor,  who  was  present  and 
severely  wounded  at  the  assassination  of  Joseph  Smith,  was 
at  this  time  president  of  the  church,  and  Wilford  Woodruff, 
afterward  his  successor,  was  in  charge  of  the  historian's  office. 

For  these  people  had  had  an  historian's  office  and  an  his- 
torian almost  from  the  beginning  of  their  existence  as  a  reli- 
gious sect.  The  acts  of  the  apostles,  and  the  doings  of 
president  and  people,  had  been  minutely  written  down  and 
preserved.  And,  indeed,  much  farther  back  than  the  story 
of  their  present  organization  they  went — back  to  Babel  and 
the  origin  of  things.  The  Book  of  Mormon  comprises  largely 
their  history,  as  the  Bible  is  the  history  of  the  Jews.  Some 
of  the  Babel-builders,  it  relates,  after  the  grand  scattering, 
found  their  way  to  America,  and  were  the  aborigines  of  this 
continent,  among  whom  long  lay  hidden  the  metal  plates 
eventually  found  by  Joseph  Smith. 

Mr.  Woodruff  had  an  elaborately  written  journal  in  some 
twenty  manuscript  volumes,  if  I  remember  rightly,  giving  a 
history  of  the  church  and  the  doings  of  its  members  from  the 
days  of  Nauvoo.  Never  before  had  such  work  been  done  for 
any  people,  not  even  for  the  children  of  Israel ;  for  there  was 
not  one  important  incident  or  individual  omitted.  Mr.  Wood- 
ruff and  Mr.  Richards  were  kind  enough  to  give  me  most  of 
their  time  during  tliis  visit.     licsides  my  labors  with  them,  I 


TOWARD   THE    END.  409 

took  many  long  dictations  from  others.  I  met  frequently 
George  Q.  Cannon,  first  counsellor;  Joseph  F.  Smith,  nephew 
of  Joseph  Smith ;  Brigham  Young,  eldest  son  of  the  second 
president ;  Moses  Thatcher,  W.  B.  Preston,  William  Jen- 
nings, Feramorz  Little,  Heber  J.  Grant,  H.  S.  Eldridge,  Eras- 
tus  Snow,  C.  W.  Penrose,  John  R.  Park,  and  a  hundred 
others. 

While  I  was  laboriously  engaged  in  this  office  during  most 
of  my  time  in  Salt  Lake  City,  j\Irs.  Bancroft  saw  many  of 
the  Mormon  women,  making  their  acquaintance,  winning 
their  friendship,  and  taking  dictations  from  them.  Polygamy 
with  them  was  a  sacred  institution,  a  state  not  to  be  lightly 
entered  upon,  but  only  after  due  preparation,  prayer,  and  holy 
living ;  a  cross,  perhaps,  but  one  which  only  the  blessed  might 
bear.  Hovering  in  space  all  round  the  revolving  earth  were 
myriads  of  disembodied  spirits,  for  whom  it  pleased  God  that 
men  should  manufacture  flesh.  Nor  with  the  men  was  poly- 
gamy the  result  of  sensuality ;  your  true  sensualist  will  have 
many  women  but  no  wife. 

From  Utah  we  went  to  Colorado,  stopping  at  Canon  City, 
Leadville,  Pueblo,  Colorado  Springs,  and  other  points  of 
historic  interest  and  importance.  We  were  everywhere  re- 
ceived with  the  utmost  cordiality.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
find  anyv/here  pleasanter  people,  or  a  more  intelligent  or  re- 
fined society,  than  at  Denver.  I  shall  never  forget  the  kind- 
ness of  Doctor  Bancroft,  Governors  Pitkin,  Grant,  and  Routt, 
and  Judges  Stone,  Bennett,  Beck,  and  Helm. 

Colorado  was  at  this  time  in  a  very  prosperous  condition, 
and  the  people  were  justly  proud  of  their  state,  of  its  his- 
tory, its  resources,  and  its  possibilities.  By  supplying  my- 
self pretty  freely  with  help  in  the  form  of  stenographers 
and  statisticians,  I  secured  the  experiences  of  several  hun- 
dreds of  those  whose  lives  are  in  great  part  the  history  of 
the  state.  Among  the  manuscripts  thus  resulting  was  one 
which  must  ever  constitute  the  corner-stone  of  Colorado 
history.  Nearly  two  months  were  occupied  in  writing  it, 
and  the  work  was  done  in  this  way :  Taking  a  full  file  of  the 


410  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

Rocky  Mountain  News,  the  first  journal  published  in  the 
country,  I  sat  down  before  it  with  a  stenographer  and  its  first 
editor,  who,  while  I  questioned  and  commented,  told  the  his- 
tory of  the  state,  turning  over  the  leaves  of  the  newspaper  to 
refresh  his  memory,  and  give  him  the  desired  information. 

Judge  Stone's  ideas  and  experiences  form  a  very  interest- 
ing historical  manuscript.  He  assured  me  that  the  topo- 
graphy of  Colorado  was  in  his  mind's  eye  as  clear  as  if  seen 
at  one  view  from  the  corner  of  a  cloud ;  and  I  found  his 
knowledge  of  political  and  commercial  affairs  and  the  re- 
sources and  industries  of  the  state  no  less  lucid  and  inter- 
esting. 

While  rny  family  were  at  Denver,  enjoying  the  generous 
hospitality  of  the  good  people  of  the  place,  I  spent  a  fort- 
night at  Cheyenne,  going  through  files  of  newspapers,  and 
Avriting  out  the  experiences  of  the  prominent  men.  In  this 
and  subsequent  labors  in  relation  to  the  history  of  Wyoming 
I  was  greatly  assisted  by  John  Slaughter,  territorial  librarian, 
A.  S.  Mercer,  of  the  Live  Stock  Journal,  John  W.  Hoyt,  J. 
M.  Carey,  J.  R.  Whitehead,  F.  J.  Stanton,  E.  S.  N.  Morgan, 
territorial  secretary,  A.  T.  Babbitt,  Thos.  Sturgis,  W.  W. 
Corlett,  and  others.  Then  at  Laramie  were  S.  W.  Downey 
and  T.  H.  Hayford;  at  Lander,  N.  Baldwin  and  H.  G. 
Nickerson  ;  not  to  mention  the  commanding  officers  at  forts 
Russell,  Steele,  Laramie,  McKinney,  and  Bridger. 

Part  of  the  winter  of  1884-85 1  spent  in  New  Mexico,  where 
I  had  interviews  with  most  of  the  leading  men,  and  obtained 
a  large  mass  of  material  which  was  an  absolute  necessity  to 
my  work.  At  Santa  Fe  I  examined  the  archives  thoroughly, 
and  engaged  Samuel  Ellison,  the  keeper,  to  go  through  them 
and  make  extracts  from  some,  and  complete  copies  of  all  of  the 
important  papers  and  manuscripts.  After  a  time,  however, 
finding  the  task  too  slow  and  irksome,  he  finally  consented, 
contrary  to  the  regulations,  but  greatly  to  my  satisfaction,  to 
send  to  me  in  San  Francisco,  by  express,  a  part  at  a  time, 
such  material  as  I  wanted  copied,  that  I  might  have  the  work 
done  in  my  library. 


TOWARD    THE    END.  411 

I  cannot  refrain  from  mentioning,  among  those  who  ren- 
dered me  valuable  assistance  at  Santa  Fe,  the  names  of  C.  B. 
Hayward,  W.  G.  Ritch,  Francis  Downs,  Archbishop  Lamy, 
Defouri,  Prince,  Thayer,  Fiske,  Phillips,  and  the  Chaves;  at 
Albuquerque  and  Taos,  the  Armijos  and  the  Valdez;  and  at 
Las  Cruces,  Cunniffe  and  Van  Patten. 

I  have  not  mentioned  in  this  volume  a  twentieth  part  of 
the  journeys  made,  the  people  seen,  and  the  work  done  in 
connection  with  the  labors  of  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  col- 
lecting material  and  writing  history,  but  enough  has  been 
presented  to  give  the  reader  some  faint  conception  of  the 
time,  labor,  and  money  necessary  for  such  an  historical  under- 
taking. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

BURNED   OUT  ! 

Mercury.  "  What's  best  for  us  to  do  then  to  get  safe  across  ?  " 
Charon.  "  I'll  tell  you.  You  must  all  strip  before  you  get  in,  and 
leave  all  those  encumbrances  on  shore ;  and  even  then  the  boat  will 
scarce  hold  you  all.  And  you  take  care,  Mercury,  that  no  soul  is  admit- 
ted that  is  not  in  light  marching  order,  and  who  has  not  left  all  his 
encumbrances,  as  I  say,  behind.  Just  stand  at  the  gang-way  and  over- 
haul them,  and  don't  let  them  get  in  till  lliey  've  stripped." — Lucian. 

BUT  my  troubles  were  not  yet  over.  While  I  was  buying 
farms  and  building  houses  in  San  Diego,  and  dreaming 
of  a  short  period  of  repose  on  this  earth  before  being  called 
upon  to  make  once  more  an  integral  part  of  it,  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye  I  was  struck  down,  as  if  by  a  thunderbolt 
from  heaven. 

For  twenty  years  past  I  had  been  more  than  ordinarily  in- 
terested in  this  southern  extremity  of  the  state,  with  its  soft 
sunshine  and  beautiful  bay,  the  only  break  in  the  California 
coast-line  south  of  San  Francisco  that  could  be  properly  called 
a  harbor,  and  from  time  to  time  I  had  invested  a  few  thousands 
in  lots  and  blocks,  until  satisfied  that  I  had  enough,  when 
the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  south  should  be  further  de- 
veloped, to  make  a  goodly  addition  to  my  private  fortune. 

Many  a  time  before  this  I  had  temporarily  sought  shelter 
for  myself  and  family  from  the  cold  winds  and  fogs  of  San 
Francisco,  often  in  the  Napa  and  Ojai  valleys,  and  elsewhere. 
Then  I  wondered  if  there  was  not  some  place  more  accessi- 
ble to  my  work,  which  would  answer  the  purpose  as  well. 

Ever  since  1856  I  had  been  gazing  on  the  high  hills  back 
of  Oakland  and  Berkeley,  wondering  what  was  on  the  other 


BURNED    OTTT!  413 

side ;  and  one  day  I  said,  I  will  go  and  see.  So  I  mounted 
a  horse,  and  wound  round  by  San  Pablo  and  through  the  hills 
until  I  came  to  Walnut  creek,  and  beyond  there  to  Ignacio 
valley,  near  the  base  of  Monte  Diablo,  where  I  bought  land, 
and  planted  it  in  trees  and  vines. 

It  was  a  broad  and  beautiful  patch  of  earth,  covered  with 
large  scattering  oaks,  looking  like  many  other  parts  of 
primeval  California,  only  that  the  trees  were  larger,  indicat- 
ing unusual  depth  and  strength  of  soil.  The  sun  rises  over 
the  Devil's  mountain,  and  the  cool  southwest  vv'ind  comes 
over  the  high  Oakland  hills  fresh  from  the  ocean,  the  infre- 
quent, dry,  hot,  north  winds  alone  taking  advantage  of  the 
open  country  toward  Martinez.  It  was  not  without  regret 
that  I  cut  down  the  venerable  oaks ;  but  oak  trees  and  fruit 
trees  do  not  affiliate,  and  Bartlett  pears  are  better  than 
acorns,  so  all  were  cleared  away  except  a  group  left  for 
building  sites  and  shelter  of  stock. 

For  the  most  part  it  was  a  perfect  climate,  the  heat  of  sum- 
mer seldom  being  enervating,  with  but  little  frost  in  winter; 
but  I  was  gro\ving  querulous  over  California  airs,  and  said  I 
wanted  them  quieter  and  softer  than  those  which  followed 
me  even  here,  carrying  their  thick  fog-banks  to  the  summit 
of  the  highest  westerly  hills,  and  scattering  them  in  finest 
mists  filled  with  sunshine  over  the  valleys  below.  So  we 
took  the  train,  my  wife  and  I,  and  started  south,  stopping  at 
Pasadena,  Riverside,  and  elsewhere,  all  of  which  were  too 
settled,  too  civilized  for  us.  Then  we  came  to  San  Diego, 
and  found  there  a  country  virgin  enough  for  any  one,  and 
Avithal  so  dry,  barren,  and  forbidding,  that  a  week  of  explor- 
ation in  every  direction  was  passed,  setting  out  from  our  hotel 
in  the  early  morning  and  driving  till  night  before  we  found  a 
place  in  which  were  seemingly  united  all  the  requisite  ad- 
vantages. There  we  were  satisfied  to  rest,  and  then  we 
made  our  purchase. 

Spring  valley  it  was  called,  from  a  large  perpetual  spring 
nature  had  formed  there  ;  and  it  was  the  most  attractive  spot 
within  ten  miles  of  the  future  metropolis. 


414  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

El  aguaje  de  San  Jorge  it  had  been  named  by  the  early- 
Mexicans,  and  by  the  first  Americans  the  St.  George  water- 
hole.  In  common  with  the  country  thereabout  it  had  been 
used  as  a  sheep  range,  the  springs  serving  as  a  herding  point 
and  Avatering  place,  though  the  padres  also  here  raised  vege- 
tables and  fruit  for  the  mission.  Not  long  after  the  year  i860 
a  San  Diego  lawyer.  Judge  Ensworth,  who  was  in  ill  health, 
obtained  a  possessory  claim  to  the  property  at  this  charming 
spot,  on  which  he  spent  a  portion  of  his  time.  He  walled  up 
the  spacious  springs,  and  purchasing  from  Captain  Bogert  a 
portion  of  the  lately  broken  up  coal  ship,  Clarissa  Ajidrews, 
with  difficulty  had  it  hauled  over  to  the  ground,  and  used  it 
in  the  erection  of  an  adobe  house.  The  place,  in  all  some 
500  acres,  including  other  purchases,  I  named  the  Helix 
Farms,  and  entered  it  in  my  book  of  hfe  to  spend  my  latter 
days  there.     I  then  returned  north. 

I  was  now  reaching  the  point  where  I  felt  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  rest,  or  I  must  succumb  entirely,  through  the 
simple  failure  of  strength  and  endurance. 

I  was  born  on  a  farm;  my  earliest  recollections  were  of 
farm  life ;  my  childhood's  home  had  been  there,  and  if  there 
was  any  rest  for  me  on  earth,  I  was  sure  it  would  be  under 
like  conditions.  My  work  was  nearly  done.  I  had  no  fur- 
ther desire  to  mingle  with  the  affairs  of  the  world.  I  was 
content  with  what  I  had  accomplished ;  or  at  least  all  I  could 
do  I  had  done,  and  I  was  sure  that  in  no  way  could  I  better 
become  young  again  than  in  spending  much  time  with  my 
little  ones,  in  teaching  them  how  to  work  and  be  useful,  as 
my  devoted  parents  had  taught  me. 

It  was  on  the  30th  of  April,  1886,  that  I  was  standing  on 
the  steps  of  the  Florence  hotel,  at  San  Diego,  when  my  wife 
drove  up  in  her  phaeton  and  handed  me  a  telegram.  "They 
said  it  was  important,"  she  remarked,  and  eyed  me  earnestly 
as  I  opened  and  read  it.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  she  asked,  "  Is  it 
bad  ?  "  "  About  as  bad  as  can  be,"  I  replied.  It  was  from 
Mr.  N.  J,  Stone,  manager  of  the  History  department  of  the 


BURNED   OUT!  415 

business,  and  it  read,  "  Store  burning.  Little  hope  of  saving 
it."  Half  an  hour  later  came  another  despatch,  saying  that 
nothing  was  saved  but  the  account  books. 

The  full  effect  of  this  calamity  flashed  through  my  brain 
on  the  instant :  the  building  in  which  I  took  much  pride,  its 
lofts  filled  to  overflowing  witli  costly  merchandise,  all  gone, 
the  results  of  thirty  years  of  labor  and  economy,  of  headaches 
and  heart-aches,  eaten  up  by  fire  in  an  hour !  I  say  the  full 
effect  of  it  was  upon  me ;  yet  the  blow — though  for  a  time 
it  prostrated  me,  seemed  to  strike  softly,  as  if  coming  from  a 
gloved  hand,  for  at  the  moment  I  was  powerless  to  oppose  it. 
I  continued  the  occupation  of  the  day  as  usual,  for  I  was  then 
building  for  my  wife  a  summer  residence  overlooking  the 
bay ;  but  many  days  of  sorrow  and  anguish  were  in  store  for 
me  by  reason  of  this  fire. 

In  this  same  hotel,  seven  months  before,  I  had  read  of  the 
Crocker  fire,  a  similar  catastrophe  happening  to  a  house  of 
like  business  to  ours.  And  I  then  thought,  "  This  might  as 
well  have  been  Bancroft,  but  how  different  the  result  to 
me,  and  hundreds  of  others."  As  La  Rochefoucauld  says : 
"  Nous  avons  tous  assez  de  force  pour  supporter  les  maux 
d'autrui."  And  now  it  was,  indeed,  Bancroft,  and  all  their 
fine  establishment,  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  western  America, 
swept  away  in  the  midst  of  a  struggle  to  place  my  histories 
fairly  upon  the  market.  Twenty  volumes  had  been  issued, 
and  the  firm  was  still  $200,000  behind  on  the  enterprise. 
But  it  was  gaining.  Daylight  shone  as  through  a  tunnel  in 
the  distance ;  the  last  month's  business  had  been  the  most 
encouraging  of  all ;  when  suddenly,  office,  stock,  papers,  cor- 
respondence, printing-presses,  type  and  plates,  and  the  vast 
book-bindery,  filled  with  sheets  and  books  in  every  stage  of 
binding,  were  blotted  out,  as  if  seized  by  Satan  and  hurled 
into  the  jaws  of  hell.  There  was  not  a  book  left ;  there  was 
not  a  volume  of  history  saved ;  nine  volumes  of  history  plates 
were  destroyed,  besides  a  dozen  other  volumes  of  plates; 
two  carloads  of  history  paper  had  just  come  in,  and  12,000 


4l6  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

bound  volumes  were  devoured  by  the  flames.  There  was 
the  enterprise  left,  and  a  dozen  volumes  of  the  history  plates 
in  the  library  basement,  and  that  was  all. 

The  loss  thus  in  a  moment  of  over  half  a  million  of  dollars, 
above  all  that  any  policies  of  insurance  would  cover,  was  not 
the  worst  of  it.  Our  facilities  for  work  were  gone,  machinery 
destroyed,  and  business  connections  suddenly  snapped;  at 
noon  with  one  of  the  largest  stocks  in  America,  at  night  with 
nothing  to  sell !  I  went  down  to  the  train,  stowed  myself 
away  in  a  sleeper,  and  came  to  San  Francisco,  knowing  I  had 
to  face  the  brunt  of  it  and  endure  the  long-drawn  agony  of 
the  catastrophe.  My  daughter  was  with  me.  Friends  and 
sympathizers  met  me  at  Martinez.  It  was  Sunday  when  I 
arrived  and  went  to  my  city  quarters.  I  kept  my  room  until 
Tuesday;  then  pulled  myself  together  and  went  down  among 
the  printers  and  bookbinders,  who,  poor  fellows,  were  ready 
to  cry  when  they  saw  me  enter  the  miserable  rooms  on  Geary 
street,  to  which  they  had  been  forced  to  fly  with  their  books. 
I  really  felt  more  for  them  than  for  myself,  as  many  of  them 
had  been  for  many  years  dependent  on  the  business  for  a  live- 
lihood, and  they  had  wives  and  little  ones  to  feed.  And  my 
poor  wife !  I  felt  for  her,  from  whom  I  was  forced  to  part  so 
abruptly.  But  most  touching  of  all  was  the  sympathy  of  the 
children.  Paul  said,  "  Papa  shall  have  my  chicken-money  to 
help  build  his  store,"  as  he  turned  his  face  from  his  mother 
to  hide  his  tears.  At  another  time,  looking  at  a  new  shot-gun, 
he  said, "  I  am  glad  we  have  that  gun,  for  now  papa  will  not  have 
to  buy  one."  Little  Philip  would  work  all  day  and  all  night, 
and  another  bantling  persisted  in  going  about  gathering  nails 
in  an  old  tin  can  for  two  days  for  his  father. 

It  is  such  testimonials  as  these  that  touch  the  strong  man 
to  the  quick,  and  not  formal  letters  of  sympathy  and  condo- 
lence. 

It  took  time  to  get  accustomed  to  the  new  order  of  things. 
I  wandered  about  the  city  and  noted  the  many  changes  of 
late ;  I  admired  the  new  style  of  architecture,  and  noted  the 
lavish  expenditure  of  the  big  bonanza  men  and  others  in  the 


BURNED   OUT!  417 

immediate  vicinity  of  my  still  smoking  ruins,  and  I  felt  sad 
to  think  that  I  had  no  longer  a  stake  in  this  proud  and  wealthy 
city.  For  my  ground  must  go.  It  was  heavily  mortgaged 
for  money  with  which  to  print  and  publish  my  history.  Seven- 
teen years  before  I  gathered  it  up,  as  I  have  said,  piece 
by  piece,  as  I  could  get  it,  and  pay  for  it,  paying  for  one 
piece  $6000,  and  for  one  of  like  dimensions  and  equal  value 
adjoining  $12,000,  thus  buying  seven  lots  in  order  to  make 
up  one  of  the  size  I  wanted.  And  now  it  must  all  go  into 
the  capacious  maw  of  some  one  not  foolish  enough  to  write 
and  publish  history. 

It  makes  one's  heart  sore  thus  to  walk  about  old  familiar 
haunts  and  feel  one's  self  a  thing  of  the  past.  Neither  the 
streets  nor  the  sunshine  have  the  same  significance  as  form- 
erly. They  are  not  my  streets ;  it  is  not  my  sunshine ;  I  am 
an  interloper  here ;  I  am  the  ghost  of  a  dead  man  stalking 
about  the  places  formerly  frequented  while  living. 

Death  is  nothing,  however.  Every  silent  stab  of  the  in- 
numerable incidents  that  every  day  arise  brings  its  death 
pang.  To  die  once  is  to  get  off  cheaply ;  to  die  fifty  times  a 
day  even,  one  may  become  somewhat  accustomed  to  and  so 
endure  it  without  flinching.  But  the  wife  and  little  ones ;  ah  ! 
there's  the  rub  ;  all  through  my  life  of  toil  and  self-abnegation 
I  had  looked  forward  to  the  proud  position  in  v/hich  I  might 
leave  them,  prouder  by  far  than  any  secured  by  money  alone, 
for  I  might  easier  have  made  ten  millions  than  have  collected 
this  library  and  written  this  history.  I  must  come  down  in 
my  pretensions,  however,  there  is  no  help  for  it. 

For  thirty  years,  I  thought,  I  have  had  a  bookstore  in  this 
town,  and  the  first  and  finest  one  here,  or  within  two  thousand 
miles  of  the  place.  Whenever  I  walked  the  streets,  or  met 
an  acquaintance,  or  wanted  money,  or  heard  the  bells  ring 
for  church,  or  drove  into  the  park,  or  drew  to  my  breast  my 
child ;  whenever  I  went  home  at  night,  or  down  to  business 
in  the  morning,  or  out  to  my  library,  or  over  to  my  farm,  I 
had  this  bookstore.  And  now  I  have  it  not.  I  have  none. 
I  never  shall  have  one  again.  It  is  I  who  should  have  been 
27 


4l8  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

destroyed,  and  not  this  hive  of  industry  which  provided  food 
for  five  hundred  mouths. 

I  dropped  at  once  into  a  system  of  rigid  economy  in  per- 
sonal expenses,  though  I  well  knew  that  the  little  I  could 
save  in  this  way  would  make  no  difference.  But  there  must 
have  been  a  comfort  in  stinting  myself  and  making  my  body 
feel  the  pinchings  of  poverty  that  my  soul  felt. 

For  days  and  weeks  I  studiously  avoided  passing  by  the 
charred  remains  of  my  so  lately  proud  establishment.  I 
never  liked  looking  on  a  corpse,  and  here  was  my  own 
corpse,  my  own  smouldering  remains,  my  dead  hopes  and 
aspirations,  all  the  fine  plans  and  purposes  of  my  life  lying 
here  a  heap  of  ashes,  and  I  could  not  bear  to  look  upon 
them. 

Half  of  the  time  during  these  days  I  was  sick  in  bed  mth 
nervous  prostration.  Day  after  day  and  far  into  the  night  I 
lay  there  with  an  approximate  statement  of  the  condition  of 
my  finances  in  my  hand,  holding  it  before  my  eyes  until  I 
could  not  see  the  figures.  It  seemed,  while  I  held  it  in  my 
hands,  that  I  was  thus  meeting  the  issues  which  I  must  pres- 
ently fight  out  as  soon  as  I  could  stand  on  my  legs.  It  was 
the  long  and  lingering  suspense  that  piled  up  the  agony ;  if  I 
was  to  be  hanged,  and  could  know  it  at  once,  face  it,  and 
have  it  over,  I  could  nerve  myself  for  the  emergency ;  but  to 
keep  myself  nerved  to  meet  whatever  might  come,  not  know- 
ing what  that  would  be,  required  all  my  fortitude  and  all  my 
strength. 

So  far  as  the  mere  loss  of  money  was  concerned,  or  that  I 
should  be  held  in  less  esteem  by  my  fellow-men,  I  cared  noth- 
ing for  that.  I  never  loved  money ;  few  and  simple  were  my 
wants ;  I  desired  to  be  held  only  in  such  esteem  as  I  deserved, 
and  that  estimation  most  men  have  in  the  community,  them- 
selves or  their  enemies  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

A  sense  of  obligation  in  regard  to  the  duties  of  life  rests 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree  upon  most  men.  We  do  not  like 
to  see  wrong-doing  triumph,  or  the  innocent  made  to  suffer ; 
we  do  not  like  to  see  peculation  in  office,  bribery  among  of- 


BURNED    OUT!  419 

ficials,  or  the  greed  of  monopolists  eating  up  a  community ; 
Ave  do  not  like  to  see  the  young  squander  their  inheritance,  or 
women  and  preachers  gambling  in  stocks.  Somewhat  simi- 
larly, we  do  not  like  to  see  an  old  estabhshed  business,  a  credit 
and  almost  a  necessity  to  the  community,  which  year  after 
year  lives  and  grows,  giving  support  to  scores  of  families, 
become  obliterated. 

'•  What  a  blessing  your  library  was  not  burned,"  the  old- 
womanish  men  would  say.  "  It  was  providential  that  you  had 
moved  it."  Blessing !  There  was  no  blessing  about  it.  It 
was  altogether  a  curse ;  and  of  a  truth  I  should  almost  have 
felt  relieved  if  the  library  had  gone  too,  and  so  brought  my 
career  to  a  close.  I  felt  as  did  Shylock,  about  his  money  and 
his  life :  as  well  take  my  history  as  take  from  me  the  means 
of  completing  my  history.  I  could  curse  my  fate ;  but  with 
more  show  of  reason  curse  the  management  which,  unknown 
to  me,  had  crammed  full  to  overflowing  eight  large  floors  with 
precious  merchandise  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  low 
freights,  at  the  same  time  cutting  down  the  volume  of  insu- 
rance, so  that  when  a  match  was  carelessly  dropped  in  the 
basement  of  the  furniture  store  adjoining,  and  a  two-hours' 
blaze  left  only  a  heap  of  ashes,  the  old  business  was  killed  as 
dead  as  possible. 

The  business  had  not  been  very  popular  of  late;  it  had 
many  competitors  and  consequently  many  enemies;  hence 
thousands  were  made  happy  by  its  fall.  I  do  not  know  how 
we  all  could  have  gone  to  work  to  confer  the  greatest  pleasure 
upon  the  greatest  number  so  effectually  as  in  burning  up  our 
establishment.  Yet  some  were  kind  enough  to  say  that  it  was 
a  pubUc  calamity ;  that  there  was  nothing  now  in  the  country 
which  might  properly  be  called  a  bookstore,  as  compared 
with  what  ours  was. 

We  knew  better  than  others  what  the  calamity  signified ; 
that  mercantile  houses  like  ours,  as  it  lately  stood,  could  not 
be  built,  any  more  than  mountains  could  be  made,  or  systems 
of  knowledge  evolved,  in  a  day.  I  had  been  thirty  years  in 
this  work  of  creation ;  I  had  not  another  thirty  years  to  de- 


420  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

vote  to  a  similar  work ;  therefore  I  knew  I  never  should  have 
such  another  bookstore. 

But  there  were  other  things  in  the  world  besides  book- 
stores ;  if  I  could  get  rest  from  severe  strain  I  would  be  satis- 
fied; but  I  could  do  anything  now  but  rest.  The  question 
was :  Should  I  make  a  struggle  to  re -build  my  fortunes,  or 
should  I  lay  down  my  weary  bones  and  drift  as  comfortably 
as  I  might  into  the  regions  of  the  unconscious  ?  Were  I  to 
consider  myself  alone  ;  had  I  no  work  to  do  affecting  others, 
no  other  principles  than  the  best  preservation  of  self,  I  could 
tell  quickly  what  I  would  do.  I  would  choose  some  sunny 
hillside  and  there  follow  with  my  eyes  the  rising  and  setting 
of  the  sun,  until  the  evening  should  come  when  I  might  go 
down  with  it. 

The  question  was  not  what  I  would  like  to  do,  but  what 
I  ought  to  do.  To  be  influenced  by  what  would  make  me 
the  most  happy  or  miserable  was  putting  it  upon  too  low  a 
plane.  One  man's  happiness  or  misery  for  a  few  years  is  a 
small  matter ;  small  to  his  fellow-men,  who  are  thinking  mainly 
of  themselves,  small  to  himself,  if  he  stops  thinking  about  him- 
self, his  happiness  or  misery,  and  goes  about  his  business  in 
the  spirit  of  doing  in  the  best  manner  he  can  the  thing  which 
most  of  all  requires  next  to  be  done. 

I  was  tired,  as  I  said ;  I  could  easily  sink  out  of  sight,  and 
lie  at  rest  beside  my  sepulchred  hopes.  This  would  be  the 
easiest  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  But  I  had  never  been  ac- 
customed to  the  easiest  way,  or  to  regard  my  pleasure  as  the 
first  consideration  in  life.  To  do  as  best  I  was  able,  every 
day  and  every  hour,  the  thing  nearest  me  to  be  done,  whether 
I  liked  it  or  not  —  that  had  been  the  unwritten  code  by  which 
I  had  regulated  my  conduct;  and  whether  I  would  or  not, 
and  all  without  knowing  it,  I  could  now  no  more  deviate 
from  that  course  than  I  could  change  my  nature.  Except 
in  moments  of  deepest  depression,  and  then  for  only  a  mo- 
ment, did  I  think  of  such  a  thing  as  giving  up.  To  face  the 
detail  of  going  over  the  dead  business  to  save  what  could  be 
saved  sickened  me  beyond  measure,  but  I  had  to  swallow 


BURNED   OUT!  42 I 

the  dose.  I  offered  to  give  the  remnant  of  the  business  to  any- 
one who  would  assume  the  responsibihty,  and  save  me  the 
trouble  and  annoyance  of  cleaning  it  up  ;  but  no  one  would 
take  it,  and  I  was  therefore  compelled  to  do  it  myself. 

I  say  there  were  other  things  than  myself  to  be  considered ; 
indeed,  myself  was  but  a  sm^H  part  of  it.  There  was  the  his- 
tory, and  the  men  engaged  on  it,  and  the  pledges  which  had 
been  made  to  the  public  and  to  subscribers.  "  Ah,  yes," 
they  would  say,  "  this  might  have  been  expected,  and  so  we 
are  left  with  a  broken  set  of  books  on  our  hands."  There 
was  the  business,  and  a  large  body  of  creditors  that  must  be 
paid.  There  was  my  family,  and  all  who  should  come  after 
me ;  if  I  should  fail  myself  and  others  now,  who  would  ever 
after  rise  up  and  retrieve  our  fallen  fortunes  ?  No ;  I  could 
do  now  a  hundred  times  more  than  any  one  of  them  could 
probably  do  at  any  time  hereafter,  and  I  would  try  to  do  it, 
though  the  effort  should  grind  me  to  powder.  Then,  too,  it 
was  not  in  the  power  of  a  man  so  constituted  and  so  disci- 
plined as  I  had  been  to  sit  down  beside  the  business  I  had 
established  almost  in  my  boyhood,  and  labored  to  sustain  and 
build  up  all  through  my  life,  and  see  the  light  of  it  go  out, 
become  utterly  extinguished,  making  no  effort  to  save  it. 

Building  and  business  being  both  cut  off  in  an  instant,  I  had 
not  a  dollar  of  income  in  the  world.  I  did  not  deem  it  pos- 
sible to  re-erect  the  store,  the  former  building  being  heavily 
mortgaged.  I  offered  the  lot  for  sale,  but  no  one  would  buy 
at  a  fair  price.  It  took  two  months  to  ascertain  whether  the 
business  was  solvent  or  not ;  for  although  most  of  the  account- 
books  had  been  saved,  there  were  goods  and  invoices  in  tran- 
sit, and  new  statements  of  accounts  had  to  be  obtained  from 
every  quarter. 

Until  the  state  of  the  business  could  be  definitely  known, 
I  could  make  no  calculations  about  anything.  I  might  have 
to  sell  all  I  had  to  pay  the  debts  of  the  firm.  Above  all,  it 
might  be  utterly  beyond  the  question  to  continue  the  publi- 
cation of  the  history.  This  would  be  indeed  the  greatest 
calamity  that  could  befall ;  for  in  that  event,  without  flatter- 


422  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

ing  myself  that  the  world  at  large  would  regard  the  matter  in 
a  serious  light,  to  me,  and  to  those  more  immediately  inter- 
ested in  and  dependent  upon  me,  all  would  be  lost,  not  only 
property  and  life,  but  that  for  which  life  and  property  had 
been  given.  A  half-finished  work  would  be  comparatively 
valueless;  and  not  only  would.no  one  take  up  the  broken 
threads  and  continue  the  several  narratives,  but  there  would 
be  little  hope  of  the  work  ever  being  again  attempted  by  any 
one  on  the  extensive  and  thorough  plan  I  had  marked  out. 
It  is  true  that  much  of  the  work  that  I  had  accomplished 
would  be  useful  in  the  hands  of  another,  whether  working  in 
conjunction  with  or  under  the  direction  of  some  society  or 
government,  or  in  a  private  capacity ;  the  question  was,  how- 
ever, would  any  government  or  individual  undertake  it  ?  The 
collected  materials  would  never  diminish  in  importance,  but 
rather  increase  in  value  as  time  passed  by,  and  the  indexes, 
prepared  at  such  a  large  expenditure  of  time  and  labor,  would 
always  be  regarded  as  of  primary  necessity,  as  the  only  means 
by  which  vast  stores  of  knowledge  could  be  reached. 

But  to  return  to  my  affairs  so  greatly  disarranged  by  this 
unfortunate  fire.  I  kept  the  lot,  for  the  reason  before  inti- 
mated, because  I  could  not  sell  it,  buyers  seeming  to  think  it 
a  special  imposition  that  they  could  not  profit  by  my  calamity. 
When,  finally,  I  knew  that  I  need  not  sell  it,  the  savings 
banks  sending  me  word,  if  I  wanted  to  rebuild  to  come  around 
and  get  the  money,  I  found  that  in  accepting  their  offer  I 
should  save  at  least  $100,000,  as  the  difference  between  the 
real  value  of  the  lot  and  what,  at  the  moment,  I  could  get 
for  it.  Then  I  determined  to  go  on  and  rebuild,  and  at  once 
I  began  to  do  so. 

There  was  now  the  library  work  to  be  considered.  While 
comparatively  speaking  I  was  near  the  end,  so  near  that  I 
could  begin  to  think  of  retiring  to  farm  life,  and  a  voyage  of 
several  years  around  the  world  as  an  educating  expedition 
for  my  children,  yet  I  had  much  to  do,  and  this  fire  added 
to  it  a  hundred  fold,  even  should  it  be  possible  to  complete 
the  work  at  all.     I  had  made  out  at  the  library  a  schedule 


BURNED   OUT!  423 

showing  the  exact  condition  of  the  work,  what  had  been  done, 
what  remained  to  be  done,  what  plates  had  been  destroyed 
and  what  remained,  and  an  estimate  of  the  probable  time  and 
expense  it  would  require  to  complete  the  history.  Two  years 
and  $12,000  were  the  time  and  money  estimated,  but  both 
time  and  money  were  nearly  doubled  before  the  end  came. 

It  was  interesting  to  observe  the  diverse  attitudes  assumed 
by  different  persons  after  the  fire,  the  actions  of  friends  and 
enemies,  in  the  business  and  out  of  it.  First,  and  by  far  the 
largest  class,  were  honest  and  hearty  sympathizers,  of  high 
and  low  degree,  who  regarded  our  business  as  a  useful  one, 
its  objects  in  the  main  praiseworthy,  and  its  loss  a  public  ca- 
lamity. Another  class,  large  enough,  but  not  so  large  as  the 
other,  was  our  enemies,  mostly  business  competitors,  who  had 
long  been  envious  of  us,  and  were  now  delighted  at  our  dis- 
comfiture. 

A  singular  phenomenon  was  a  shoal  of  business  sharks 
which  sailed  in  around  us,  seeking  something  to  devour.  It 
is  useless  citing  examples,  but  I  was  surprised  beyond  expres- 
sion to  find  among  the  commercial  and  industrial  ranks,  doing 
business  with  every  claim  to  honesty  and  respectabiHty,  those 
scarcely  inferior  to  highway  robbers;  real  estate  sharpers, 
swindling  contractors,  and  lawyers,  hunting  for  some  loop- 
hole to  get  a  finger  in  —  men  who  by  rights  should  be  within 
the  walls  of  a  penitentiary.  It  was  then  that  I  first  learned 
that  there  were  business  men  in  our  midst  whose  principles 
and  practices  were  worse  than  those  of  any  three-card  monte 
men,  who  lived  and  did  business  only  to  get  the  better  of 
people  by  some  catch,  trick,  swindle,  or  other  indirection. 

Best  of  all  were  the  true  and  noble  fellows  of  our  ou^n  es- 
tablishment, who  stood  by  us  regardless  of  any  consequences 
to  themselves.  All  were  not  of  this  stamp,  however;  there 
were  some  from  whom  we  expected  the  most,  for  whom  we 
had  done  the  most,  but  who  now  returned  us  only  evil,  show- 
ing bad  hearts  —  but  let  them  pass.  It  is  a  matter  for  self- 
congratulation  rather  than  regret,  the  discovery  of  a  traitor  in 


424  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES, 

the  camp,  of  an  unprincipled  person  in  a  position  of  trust 
and  confidence,  one  held  in  high  esteem,  not  to  say  affection- 
ate regard, —  to  find  him  out,  to  know  him  that  he  might  be 
avoided.  It  is  not  the  open  enemy  that  does  us  serious  injury, 
but  the  treacherous  friend.  And  in  truth  I  have  encountered 
few  such  during  my  life,  either  in  the  business  or  out  of  it, 
few  comparatively.  Most  young  men,  if  ever  they  have  once 
felt  the  impressions  of  true  nobility  and  integrity,  will  not  de- 
part from  them.  Some  forget  themselves  and  fall  into  evil 
ways,  but  these  are  few.  There  is  no  higher  or  nobler  work, 
no  more  pleasing  sight,  than  to  watch  and  assist  the  un- 
folding of  true  nobility  of  character  in  young  men  of  good 
impulses.  And  while  there  are  so  many  of  inferior  ability 
seeking  situations,  and  so  many  situations  waiting  for  compe- 
tent persons,  it  seems  a  pity  the  standard  of  excellence  and 
intelligence  is  not  raised. 

There  were  in  the  ranks  of  the  old  business  instances  of 
loyalty  and  devotion  which  will  remain  graven  on  my  heart 
forever — men  who,  regardless  of  their  own  interests,  stood 
by  the  wreck,  determined  at  any  personal  hazard,  any  self- 
sacrifice,  to  lend  their  aid  as  long  as  hope  remained.  I  noticed 
with  pride  that  most  of  the  heads  of  departments  thus  re- 
maining had  begun  their  business  career  with  me  in  the  original 
house  of  H.  H.  Bancroft  and  company,  and  had  been  in  full 
accord  with  me  and  my  historical  work  from  first  to  last ;  and 
I  swore  to  myself  that,  if  the  business  survived,  these  men 
would  never  regret  their  course,  and  I  do  not  think  they  ever 
have.  Nor  should  my  assistants  at  the  library  be  forgotten, 
several  of  whom,  besides  quite  a  number  at  the  store,  volun- 
tarily cut  down  their  salaries  in  order  to  make  as  light  as 
possible  the  burden  of  completing  my  work. 

In  many  varied  moods  were  we  met  by  different  persons 
with  whom  we  had  dealings.  We  did  not  propose  to  fail,  or 
compromise,  or  a.sk  an  exten.sion,  as  long  as  we  had  a  dollar 
wherewith  to  pay  our  debts ;  but  there  was  no  use  disguising 
the  fact  that  the  business  had  received  a  severe  blow,  and 
might  not  survive  it.     Among  the  publishers  and  manufac- 


BURNED   OUT!  425 

turers  of  the  eastern  United  States  are  men  of  every  breadth 
of  mind  and  size  of  soul.  During  this  memorable  year  we 
took  an  inventory  of  them,  sizing  them  up,  so  to  speak,  at 
about  their  value.  Nearly  all  extended  to  us  their  sympathy, 
most  of  which  was  heart-felt.  Quite  a  number  went  further, 
and  manifested  a  disposition  to  help  us  to  regain  our  feet ; 
but  this  amounted  to  little,  practically,  though  for  the  feelings 
which  prompted  it  we  were  grateful. 

There  was  one  man  especially,  a  Massachusetts  merchant, 
with  whom  we  had  no  intimate  acquaintance,  and  on  whom 
we  had  no  special  claim.  We  had  bought  goods  from  him 
as  from  others;  but  he  was  not  like  some  of  his  locality, 
wholly  given  to  gain,  with  bloodless  instincts  and  cold  wor- 
ship of  wealth.  He  met  us  openly,  frankly,  with  something 
more  than  machine-made  sympathy,  and  asked  to  share  with 
us  our  loss.  Never  shall  we  forget  the  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness of  this  gentleman,  or  the  firm  he  represents,  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  whose  members  are  so  far  above  the  millions 
they  command. 

On  the  whole,  we  considered  ourselves  very  fairly  treated, 
both  at  the  west  and  at  the  east,  in  the  adjustment  of  diffi- 
culties arising  from  the  fire.  The  insurance  companies  were 
entitled  to  every  praise,  paying  their  losses  promptly  before 
they  were  due.  New  friendships  were  made,  and  old  friend- 
ships widened  and  cemented  anew.  I  v/as  specially  gratified 
by  the  confidence  moneyed  men  seemed  to  repose  in  me, 
granting  me  all  the  accommodations  I  desired,  and  thus  en- 
abling me  quickly  to  improve  my  fortunes,  as  I  will  more 
fully  narrate  in  the  next  and  final  chapter. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE   HISTORY   COMPANY   AND   THE   BANCROFT   COMPANY. 


Nihil  infelicius  est  cui  nihil  unquam  evenit  adversi,  non  llcuit  enim 
illi  se  experiri. — Seneca. 

Prosperity  inspires  an  elevation  of  mind  even  in  the  mean-spirited,  so 
that  they  show  a  certain  degree  of  high-mindedness  and  chivalry  in  the 
lofty  position  in  which  fortune  has  placed  them  ;  but  the  man  who  pos- 
sesses real  fortitude  and  magnanimity  will  show  it  by  the  dignity  of  his 
behavior  under  losses,  and  in  the  most  adverse  fortune. — Plutarch. 


AS  the  goods  arrived  which  were  in  transit  at  the  time  of  the 
fire,  they  were  put  into  a  store  of  which  we  took  a  year's 
lease  in  the  Grand  hotel,  on  Market  street.  Orders  came  in 
and  customers  called,  making  their  purchases,  though  in  a 
limited  way.  Considering  the  crippled  condition  of  the  busi- 
ness and  the  general  prostration  of  its  aftairs,  the  result  was 
more  favorable  than  might  have  been  expected.  In  due  time 
I  was  able  to  ascertain  that  with  close  collections,  and  mak- 
ing the  most  of  everything,  the  business  was  not  only  solvent, 
but  had  a  margin  of  $100,000  above  all  liabilities.  To  bring 
about  this  happy  state  of  things,  however,  the  utmost  care  and 
watchfulness,  with  the  best  of  management,  were  necessary; 
for,  while  returns  were  slow  and  precarious,  liabilities  were 
certain  and  defined. 

Meanwhile  a  number  of  detached  concerns  sprang  up, 
thrown  off  from  the  parent  institution  in  the  whirl  of  the 
great  convulsion.  The  history  department  was  segregated 
from  the  old  business,  and  reorganized  and  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  The  History  Company. 

The  bare  fact  of  loss  of  property, — not  being  able  to  count 
myself  worth  as  much  as  formerly  by  so  many  thousands, — 

426 


THE  HISTORY  COMPANY  AND  THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY.    427 

as  I  have  before  intimated,  never  gave  me  a  moment's  pang  or 
uneasiness.  From  the  first  the  main  question,  and  the  only- 
question,  was,  could  the  publishing  business  pay  its  debts? 
If  the  Market  street  lot,  the  library,  my  farms,  and  all  other 
property  had  to  be  sacrificed  to  liquidate  the  indebtedness  of 
the  business,  thereby  arresting  the  publication  of  thf  histor}', 
and  sending  me  forth  empty-handed  to  earn  my  bread, — I 
frankly  admit  that  I  could  not  face  this  possibility  without 
flinching.  But  when  it  was  ascertained  that  the  old  business 
was  solvent,  and  would  pay  its  debts  without  further  sacrifice 
of  my  resources,  I  wrote  my  wife,  who  was  still  in  San  Diego 
attending  to  my  affairs  in  that  city,  that  she  need  have  no 
fear  of  the  future,  for  if  I  lived  we  would  yet  have  enough 
and  to  spare,  without  considering  what  might  happen  in  south- 
em  California. 

Buying  an  additional  lot,  so  as  to  make  a  width  of  one 
hundred  feet  on  Stevenson  street,  having  still  seventy-five  feet 
frontage  on  Market  street,  in  something  over  a  year  I  had 
completed  on  the  old  site  a  neat  and  substantial  edifice,  a 
feature  of  Market  street,  and  of  the  city,  which  I  called  The 
History  Building.  Its  architecture  was  original  and  artistic, 
the  structure  roomy  and  commodious,  and  it  was  so  named 
in  consideration  of  my  historical  efforts. 

I  had  seen  from  the  first  that  it  would  be  necessary  as  soon 
as  possible,  if  I  expected  to  get  another  start  in  the  world,  to 
secure  some  steady  income,  both  in  San  Diego  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  the  former  place,  property  was  so  rapidly  increasing 
in  value,  that  on  account  of  increased  taxation  and  street  as- 
sessments a  portion  of  it  would  have  to  be  sold  unless  it  could 
be  made  productive.  Some  of  it,  the  outside  lands,  was  sold, 
and  with  the  proceeds,  and  what  I  could  scrape  together  in 
San  Francisco,  we  managed  to  erect  a  business  building  there, 
which  brought  in  good  returns.  Then  there  was  the  ground 
rent  from  a  hundred  lots  or  so,  which  helped  materially.  No 
money  which  I  had  ever  handled  gave  me  half  such  pleasure 
as  that  which  I  was  able  to  send  to  my  wife  at  this  time ;  for 
although  it  lessened  and  made  more  dilficult  my  chances  of 


428  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

success  in  San  Francisco,  it  removed  my  family  further  every 
day  from  possible  want,  and  thus  gave  me  renewed  strength 
for  the  battle. 

Up  to  this  time  the  publication  and  sale  of  my  historical 
series  had  been  conducted  as  part  of  the  general  business, 
under  the  management  of  Nathan  J,  Stone.  As  this  business 
had  assumed  large  proportions,  sometimes  interfering  with 
the  other  departments,  and  not  always  in  harmony  with  them 
or  with  the  general  management,  it  was  finally  thought  best 
to  organize  an  independent  company,  having  for  its  principal 
object  the  publication  of  my  books,  together  with  general 
book-publishing,  and  acting  at  the  same  time  as  an  agency 
for  selected  eastern  publications. 

It  may  be  not  out  of  place  to  give  here  some  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  publication  and  sale  of  this  historical 
series  was  conducted,  with  a  brief  biography  of  the  man  who 
managed  it ;  for  if  there  was  anything  unusual  in  gathering 
the  material  and  writing  these  histories,  the  method  by  which 
they  were  published  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  readers  was 
no  less  remarkable. 

Ordinarily,  for  a  commercial  man  formally  to  announce  to 
the  world  that  he  was  about  to  write  and  publish  a  series  of 
several  histories,  which  with  preliminary  and  supplemental 
works  would  number  in  all  thirty-nine  volumes,  would  be 
regarded,  to  say  the  least,  as  a  somewhat  visionary  proposi- 
tion. Those  best  capable  of  appreciating  the  amount  of  time, 
money,  labor,  and  steadfastness  of  purpose  involved,  would 
say  that  such  an  one  had  no  conception  of  what  he  was  un- 
dertaking, did  not  know  in  fact  what  he  was  talking  about, 
and  the  chances  were  a  hundred  to  one  he  would  never  com- 
plete the  work. 

Still  further  out  of  the  way  would  it  seem  for  the  publishers 
of  the  series  to  bring  forward  a  prospectus  and  invite  sub- 
scriptions beforehand  for  the  whole  thirty-nine  volumes  at 
once.  Such  a  i)roceeding  had  never  been  heard  of  since  pub- 
lishing began.  It  could  not  be  done.  Why  not  adopt  the 
usual  course,  announce  the  first  work  of  the  series  and  take 


THE  HISTORY  COMPANY  AND  THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY.    429 

subscriptions  therefor  ?  This  done,  publish  the  second  ;  and 
so  on.  People  will  not  subscribe  for  so  large  a  work  so  far 
in  advance  of  its  completion,  Avith  all  the  attendant  uncertain- 
ties. So  said  those  of  widest  experience,  and  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  the  best  capable  of  judging. 

We  well  knew  that  no  New  York  or  I^ondon  publisher 
would  undertake  the  enterprise  on  such  terms.  We  also 
knew  that  no  book,  or  series  of  books,  had  ever  been  written 
as  these  had  been.  We  did  not  know  that  the  publication 
and  sale  could  be  successfully  effected  on  this  basis,  but  we 
determined  to  try,  and  for  the  follo\\ang  reasons : 

First,  properly  to  place  this  work  before  men  of  discrimi- 
nation and  taste  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  them  fully  under- 
stand it,  its  inception  and  execution,  the  ground  it  covers, 
and  its  peculiar  methods,  required  men  of  no  common  ability 
and  persistence,  and  such  men  must  receive  adequate  com- 
pensation for  superior  intelligence  and  energy.  To  sell  a 
section  of  the  work  would  by  no  means  pay  them  for  their 
time  and  labor. 

Secondly,  when  once  the  patron  should  understand  the 
nature  and  scope  of  the  work,  how  it  was  originated  and  how 
executed,  as  a  rule,  if  he  desired  any  of  it,  he  would  want  it 
all.  As  is  now  well  known,  any  one  section  of  the  series, 
though  complete  in  itself,  is  but  one  of  a  number,  all  of  which 
are  requisite  to  the  completion  of  the  plan. 

Thirdly,  considering  the  outlay  of  time  and  money  on  each 
section,  a  subscription  to  one  volume  only,  or  one  set  of  vol- 
umes, would  in  no  way  compensate  or  bring  a  fair  return  to 
the  publisher.  Throughout  the  series  are  constant  references 
and  cross-references,  by  means  of  which  repetitions,  otherwise 
necessary  for  the  proper  understanding  of  each  several  part, 
are  avoided,  thus  making,  for  instance,  the  history  of  Mexico 
of  value  to  California,  and  vice  versa. 

When  a  book  is  published,  clearly  the  purpose  is  that  it 
should  be  circulated.  PubHshing  implies  sending  forth.  Print 
and  stack  up  in  your  basement  a  steamboat  load  of  books, 
and  until  they  are  sent  out  they  are  not  published.    And  they 


430  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

must  be  sent  out  to  bona  fide  subscribers,  and  placed  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  value  them  sufficiently  to  pay  for  them. 
To  print  and  present  does  not  answer  the  purpose ;  neither 
individual  influence  nor  the  authority  of  government  can  give 
a  book  circulation,  or  cause  it  to  be  regarded  as  of  intrinsic 
value.  It  must  be  worth  buying  in  the  first  place,  and  must 
then  be  bought  to  make  it  valued. 

In  the  matter  of  patronage,  I  would  never  allow  myself  to 
be  placed  in  the  attitude  of  a  mendicant.  I  had  devoted 
myself  to  this  work  voluntarily,  not  through  hope  of  gain,  or 
from  any  motive  of  patriotism  or  philanthropy,  or  because  of 
any  idea  of  superior  ability,  or  a  desire  for  fame,  but  simply 
because  it  gave  me  pleasure  to  do  a  good  work  well.  Nat- 
urally, and  very  properly,  if  I  might  be  permitted  to  accom- 
plish a  meritorious  work,  I  would  like  the  approbation  of  my 
fellow-men ;  if  I  should  be  able  to  confer  a  benefit  on  the 
country,  it  would  be  pleasant  to  see  it  recognized;  but  to 
trade  upon  this  sentiment,  or  allow  others  to  do  so,  would  be 
most  repugnant. 

Therefore,  it  was  my  great  desire  that  if  ever  the  work 
should  be  placed  before  the  public  for  sale,  it  should  be  done 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  command  and  retain  for  it  the  re- 
spect and  approbation  of  the  best  men.  It  would  be  so 
easy  for  an  incompetent  or  injudicious  person  to  bring  the 
work  into  disfavor,  in  failing  to  make  its  origin,  its  plan, 
and  purpose,  properly  understood.  In  due  time  fortune 
directed  to  the  publisliers  the  man  of  all  others  best  fitted 
for  the  task. 

Nathan  Jonas  Stone  was  born  in  Webster,  Merrimac  coun- 
ty. New  Hampshire,  June  ii,  1843,  which  spot  was  likewise 
the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Peter  Stone.  Both  of  his  grand- 
fathers were  captains  in  the  army,  one  serving  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  and  the  other  in  the  war  of  181 2. 

Mr.  Stone's  eariy  life  was  spent  on  a  farm,  working  during 
summer,  and  attending  school  or  teaching  in  winter.  No 
better  training  can  be  devised  for  making  strong  and  self- 
reliant  men;  no  better  place  was  ever  seen  for  laying  the 


I 


THE  HISTORY  COMPANY  AND  THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY,     43 1 

foundations  of  firm  principles,  and  knitting  the  finer  webs  of 
character,  than  a  New  England  country  home. 

In  1863,  being  then  twenty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Stone  came 
to  California  by  way  of  Panama,  arriving  in  San  Francisco 
on  the  1 8th  of  August,  with  just  ten  cents  in  his  pocket.  In- 
vesting his  capital  in  Bartlett  pears,  he  seated  himself  on  the 
end  of  a  log,  near  the  wharf  where  he  had  landed,  and  ate 
them.  Thus  fortified  for  whatever  fate  might  have  in  store, 
he  set  forth  to  find  work.  He  knew  not  a  soul  in  the  city, 
having  cast  himself  adrift  in  a  strange  country,  at  this  early 
age,  with  nothing  to  depend  on  but  his  own  native  resources, 
though  knowing  full  well  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  star- 
vation for  a  man  of  his  metal. 

Times  were  very  dull,  and  easy  places  with  good  pay  were 
not  abundant.  Nor  did  he  even  search  for  one;  but  after 
walking  about  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  making  his 
first  tour  of  observation  in  the  country,  about  five  o'clock  he 
saw  posted  on  Kearny  street  a  notice  of  workmen  wanted, 
and  was  about  making  inquiries  concerning  the  same,  when 
he  was  accosted  by  a  man  driving  a  milk-wagon,  who  asked 
him  if  he  was  looking  for  employment.  Stone  replied  that 
he  was :  whereupon  the  man  engaged  him  on  the  spot,  at 
forty  dollars  a  month  and  board.  Three  months  afterward 
he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  superintendence  of  the  in- 
dustrial school  farm,  acting  later  as  teacher  and  deputy  super- 
intendent. 

In  1867  he  entered  the  house  of  H.  H.  Bancroft  and  com- 
pany, acting  as  manager  first  of  the  subscription  department, 
and  then  of  the  wholesale  department.  In  1872  he  became 
interested  in  the  awakening  civilization  of  Japan,  with  its 
manifold  opportunities,  and  opened  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  Yokohama,  where  his  transactions  soon  reached  a 
million  of  dollars  a  year,  importing  general  merchandise  and 
exporting  the  products  of  the  country.  He  placed  a  printing- 
press  in  the  mikado's  palace,  which  led  to  the  establishment 
of  a  printing  bureau,  and  the  cutting  out  and  casting  into 
type  of  the  Japanese  characters. 


432  LITERARY    INDUSTRIES. 

Obliged  by  ill-health  to  abandon  business,  he  returned  to 
San  Francisco  in  1878  completely  prostrated;  but  after  a 
summer  at  his  old  home,  he  recovered,  his  health  still  fur- 
ther improving  during  a  four  years'  residence  at  Santa  Rosa, 
California. 

Mr.  Stone  had  followed  me  in  my  historical  efforts  with 
great  interest  from  the  first.  He  had  watched  the  gradual 
accumulation  of  material,  and  the  long  labor  of  its  utilization. 
He  believed  thoroughly  in  the  work,  its  plan,  the  methods  by 
which  it  was  wrought  out,  and  the  great  and  lasting  good 
which  would  accrue  to  the  country  from  its  publication.  He 
was  finally  induced  to  accept  the  important  responsibility  of 
placing  the  work  before  the  world,  of  assuming  the  general 
management  of  its  publication  and  sale,  and  devoting  his  life 
thereto.  No  one  could  have  been  better  fitted  for  this  ar- 
duous task.  With  native  ability  were  united  broad  experience 
and  a  keen  insight  into  men  and  affairs.  Self-reliant,  and  tire- 
less in  his  efforts,  bold,  yet  cautious,  careful  in  speech,  of  un- 
flagging energy,  and  ever  jealous  for  the  reputation  of  the 
work,  he  entered  the  field  determined  on  success.  A  plan  was 
devised  wholly  unique  in  the  annals  of  book-publishing,  no 
less  original,  no  less  difficult  of  execution  than  were  the  meth- 
ods by  which  alone  it  was  possible  for  the  author  to  write  the 
work  in  the  first  place.  And  with  unflinching  faith  and  loy- 
alty, Mr.  Stone  stood  by  the  proposition  until  he  made  of  it 
a  most  complete  success. 

Among  the  most  active  and  efficient  members  of  The  His- 
tory Company  is  George  Howard  Morrison,  a  native  of  Calais, 
Maine,  where  he  was  born  November  8,  1845.  His  ancestors 
were  of  that  Scotch-Irish  mixture,  with  a  tincture  of  English, 
which  produces  strong  men,  mentally  and  physically.  On 
the  father's  side  the  line  of  sturdy  Scotch  farmers  and  man- 
ufacturers, with  a  plentiful  intermixture  of  lawyers  and  doctors, 
may  be  traced  back  for  generations ;  the  mother  brought  to 
the  alliance  the  Irish  name  of  McCudding.  George  was  one 
of  nine  children.     Owinfr  to  failures  in  business  their  father 


THE  HISTORY  COMPANY  AND  THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY.     433 

was  unable  to  carry  out  his  design  of  giving  them  a  liberal 
education,  but  in  New  England  there  is  always  open  the  vil- 
lage school,  which  many  a  prominent  American  has  made  suf- 
fice. It  certainly  speaks  volumes  for  the  self-reliance  and 
enterprise  of  the  boy,  when  we  find  George,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  alone,  and  without  a  friend  or  acquaintance  in  the 
country,  applying  for  a  situation  at  the  office  of  a  prominent 
lawyer  in  Sacramento. 

"  What  can  you  do  ?  "  asked  the  lawyer. 

"  Anything  that  any  boy  can  do  who  is  no  bigger  nor  abler 
than  I  am,"  was  the  reply. 

The  law^yer  was  pleased,  took  the  lad  to  his  home,  gave  him 
a  place  in  his  office,  and  initiated  him  in  the  mysteries  of  the 
profession.  There  he  remained,  until  the  growing  importance 
of  the  Comstock  development  drew  him  to  Nevada,  where 
he  made  and  lost  several  fortunes.  Entering  politics,  he  was 
made  assessor  of  Virginia  City  in  1866,  represented  Storey 
county  in  the  legislature  in  1873,  and  was  chief  clerk  of  the 
assembly,  introducing  a  bill  which  greatly  enlarged  the  use- 
fulness of  the  state  orphan  asylum.  In  1870  Mr.  Morrison 
married  Mary  E,  Howard,  the  estimable  and  accomplished 
daughter  of  John  S.  Ho\vard,  type-founder,  of  Boston,  four 
children,  Mildred,  Lillie,  George,  and  Helen,  being  the  fruits 
of  this  union. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  one  of  the  first  subscribers  to  the  history, 
in  which  he  became  deeply  interested,  finally  joining  his  fate 
with  that  of  The  History  Company  and  of  The  Bancroft 
Company,  of  both  of  which  companies  he  is  a  director,  and, 
of  the  former,  secretary. 

As  The  History  Building  drcAV  near  completion,  the  pro- 
position arose  to  move  the  business  back  into  its  old  quarters ; 
but  it  had  become  so  crippled  in  resources  and  condition  that 
I  did  not  care  to  assume  the  labor,  risk,  and  responsibility  of 
its  resuscitation. 

I  had  long  been  anxious  to  withdraw  from  business  rather 
than  go  deeper  into  it.  The  thought  lay  heavily  upon  me 
of  taking  again  upon  my  already  well-burdened  shoulders  the 
28 


434  LITERARY   INDUSTRIES. 

risks  and  duties  of  a  wide-spread  business,  with  endless  detail 
and  scant  capital ;  I  did  not  care  for  the  money  should  it 
succeed;  I  wanted  nothing  further  now  than  to  get  away 
from  everything  of  the  kind. 

Yet  this  was  my  old  business  which  I  had  established  in 
my  boyhood,  and  worked  out  day  by  day  and  year  by  year 
into  vast  and  successful  proportions ;  for  there  had  never  been 
a  year  since  its  foundation  that  it  had  not  grown  and  flour- 
ished, and  that  as  a  rule  at  a  steady  rate  of  increase.  I  had 
for  it  an  affection  outside  of  any  mercenary  interest.  Through 
good  and  evil  times  it  had  stood  bravely  by  me,  by  my  fam- 
ily, my  history,  my  associates,  and  employes,  and  I  could  not 
desert  it  now.  I  could  not  see  it  die  or  go  to  the  dogs  with- 
out an  effort  to  save  it ;  for  I  felt  that  such  would  be  its  fate 
if  I  neglected  the  opportunity  to  restore  it  to  its  old  locality, 
and  regain  somewhat  of  its  old  power  and  prestige.  The 
country  was  rapidly  going  forward.  There  must  soon  be  a 
first-class  bookstore  in  San  Francisco.  There  was  none  such 
now,  and  if  ours  did  not  step  to  the  front  and  assume  that 
position,  some  other  one  would.  Immediately  after  the  fire 
the  remarks  were  common,  "  It  is  a  public  loss  "  ;  "  We  have 
nowhere,  now,  to  go  for  our  books  " ;  "  Your  store  was  not 
appreciated  until  it  was  gone." 

My  family  were  now  well  provided  for,  through  the  rise 
of  real  estate  in  San  Diego.  What  I  had  besides  need  not 
affect  them  one  way  or  the  other.  I  felt  that  I  had  the  right 
to  risk  it  in  a  good  cause  —  every  dollar  of  it,  and  my  life  in 
addition,  if  so  I  chose.  After  all,  it  was  chiefly  a  question  of 
health  and  endurance.  I  determined  to  try  it;  once  more  I 
would  adventure,  and  succeed  or  sink  all. 

So  I  laid  my  plans  accordingly,  and  in  company  with  W. 
B.  Bancroft,  Mi-.  CoUey,  and  Mr.  Borland,  all  formerly  con- 
nected with  the  original  house  of  H.  H.  Bancroft  and  Com- 
pany, I  organized  and  incorporated  The  Bancroft  Company, 
and  moved  the  old  business  back  upon  the  old  site,  but  into 
new  and  more  elegant  quarters. 


I 


I 


THE  HISTORY  COMPANY  AND  THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY.    435 

And  now  my  story  is  told,  the  story  of  my  works,  and  the 
story  of  my  life.  Looking  back  over  all  the  long  stretch  of 
years  that  I  have  carried  this  heavy  burden,  though  I  should 
not  care  to  assume  it  again,  yet  I  am  not  sorry  to  have  borne 
it.  Of  the  various  motives  which  urge  men  to  the  Avriting  of 
books,  perhaps  the  most  worthy,  worthier  by  far  than  love  of 
fame,  is  the  belief  that  the  author  has  something  to  say  which 
will  commend  itself  to  his  fellow-man,  which  perchance  his 
fellow-man  maybe  the  better  for  hearing.  If  I  have  fulfilled 
in  some  measure  even  the  first  of  these  conditions,  then  has 
my  labor  not  been  in  vain. 


I 


INDEX. 


B 


Adams,  C.  F.,  meeting  with,  174. 
Alaska,  material  for  hist,  of,  299- 

307,  352-3- 

Alcmany,  J.  S.,  archiepiscopal  ar- 
chives, 254-5. 

Allen,  A.,  dictation  of,  285. 

Altamirano,  Ign.  M.,  his  literary- 
standing  in  Mex.,  390. 

Alvarado,  J.  B.,  his  important  dic- 
tation, xix ;  biog.,  222-3;  Val- 
lejo's  negotiations  with,  223-6 ; 
material  furnished  by,  225-8, 
230. 

Amador,  Chimalpopoca,  his  talents, 

391- 
Amat,  Bishop,  meeting  with,  267-8, 

277- 

American  Antiquarian  Society, 
hon.    member   of,    189. 

American  Ethnological  Society, 
hon.    member   of,    189. 

Ames,  J.  G.,  meeting  with,  181. 

Anderson,  A.  C,  reminiscences  of, 
285,  MS.,  289. 

Andrade,  J.  M.,  library  of,  96-101. 

Applegate,  J.,  meeting  with,  296. 

Archive  Gen.  y  Publico  de  Mex. — 
descript.  of,  396-8. 

Armijo  (family)  of  N,  Max.,  kind- 
ness of,  411. 

Arnaz,  J.,  reminiscences  of,  279. 

Ash,  J.,  material  furnished  by,  285. 

'Atlantic  Monthly,'  reviews  'Na- 
tive Races,'  180. 

Authors,  characteristics  of,  14-18 ; 
habits  of,  379-83  ;  several  nota- 

^  ble  Mexicans,  396. 

Avila,  J.,  dictation  of,  278. 

Avila,  M.,  courtesy  of,  280. 


Babbitt,  A.  T.,  mention  of,  410. 

Bacon,  J.  M.,  dictation  of,  295. 

Baldwin,  N.,  mention  of,  410. 

Bancroft  Company,  The,  organ- 
ization of,  434. 

Bancroft,  Geo.,  meeting  with,  176. 

Bancroft,  H.  H.,  early  mental  de- 
velopment, ix ;  business  capac- 
ity, ix-xx ;  literary  aspirations, 
methods  and  work,  xx-xxvii ;  pe- 
cuniary difficulties  surmounted, 
xxviii-xxix ;  family  relations, 
xxix  ;  character,  xxix-xxxi ;  de- 
votion to  his  work,  2-4  ;  works, 
appreciation  of,  in  Cal.,  9-1 1; 
ancestry  and  relatives,  27-31; 
boyhood,  31-46;  education,  35, 
42-6;  early  career,  46-55  ;  char- 
acter, 47,  50-1 ;  goes  to  Cal., 
1852,  56-7;  at  the  mines,  62-4; 
disappointments,  65-8 ;  at  Cres- 
cent City,  1853-5,  69-71 ;  home 
again,  1855,  72-4;  return  to  Cal., 
1856,  76-7;  firm  established  by, 
77-8;  first  marriage,  78;  busi- 
ness affairs,  78-86;  books  and 
material  collected  by,  89-107, 
177-8,  182,  207-14,  259-62, 
263-5  ;  library  building,  108-12  ; 
literary  projects,  129-32 ;  ill 
health,  132-3  ;  resolves  to  write, 
133-5  ;  preparation  of  material, 
136-45;  assistants,  138,  154; 
scope  of  the  work,  147,  153; 
despondency,  149 ;  impulse  to 
write,  150;  literary  efforts,  152- 
4,  157;  'History  of  the  Pa- 
cific States,'  153 ;  '  Native  Races 
of  the    Pacific  States,'   158-66; 


438 


INDEX. 


eastern  tour,  1874, 170-83  ;  meet- 
ing with  Gray,  170-1  ;  with 
Lowell,  171-2;  with  Phillips, 
172-3;  with  Whittier,  173-4; 
with  Adams,  174;  with  Park- 
man,  174-5  >  correspondence 
with  Holmes,  1 75  ;  meeting  with 
G.  Bancroft,  176;  with  Draper, 
176;  with  Nordhoff,  176-7;  with 
Porter,  178;  with  King,  178-9; 
with  Spofford,  i8i-2;  with  Ames, 
181 ;  agreement  with  Longmans 
&  Co.,  183  ;  correspondence  with 
Lubbock,  184;  with  Spencer, 
185 ;  with  Latham,  185 ;  with 
Lecky,  185  ;  with  Dawkins,  187; 
with  Tylor,  187-8;  made  hon. 
member  of  societies,  189 ;  nego- 
tiations, etc.,  with  Vallejo,  202- 
14 ;  manuscripts  procured  by, 
207-14,  220, 226-8,  230-3,  235-6, 
263-81,  285-96 ;  negotiations 
with  Vallejo,  202-14;  second 
marriage,  242-4;  visit  to  Sutter, 
245-8;  archives  collected  by, 
251-3,254-8;  meeting,  etc.,v/ith 
Judge  Hayes,  259-62,  273-4; 
with  Amat,  267;  with  Vila, 
268-9  >  with  Gonzalez,  269-70  ; 
Romo,  270-2 ;  northern  trip, 
282-97 ;  meeting  with  Begljie, 
282  ;  with  Elliott,  282-4 ;  with 
Richards,  284;  with  Tod,  287; 
with  McKinlay,  285  ;  with  Tol- 
mie,  285  ;  with  Finlayson,  285  ; 
with  Anderson,  285  ;  with  Evans, 
292 ;  with  Brown,  294 ;  fire  in 
1873,  315-6;  newspapers,  col- 
lection of,  317;  Draper's  letter 
to,  318-9;  Plolmes's  letter  to, 
319;  literary  method,  330-48; 
on  retiring  from  business,  34 1-3 ; 
correspondence  with  Swan, 
351-2;  with  Gonzalez,  354-5; 
with  Brioso,  355  ;  with  Cuadra, 
355-6;  with  Barrios,  336;  hab- 
its and  regulations  of,  373-83  ; 
trip  to  Mexico,  1883-4,  384-6 ; 
conversation  with  U.S.  minister 
in  Mexico,  389-90;  meetings 
with  prominent  Mexicans, 390-5; 


with  Mormons  in  Utah,  408-9; 
with  prom,  men  in  Col.,  Wy., 
and  N.  Mex., 409-11;  acquisition 
ofproperty,  and  future  plans,  412- 
4 ;  San  Francisco  establishment 
burned,  414-22  ;  loyalty  vs.  dis- 
loyalty, 423-4 ;  plans  of  recon- 
struction, 424-5  ;  organization 
of  new  business  houses,  426-34. 

Bancroft,  W.  B.,  mention  of,  434. 

Barrios,  President,  correspondence 
with,  356. 

Barroeta,  Dr.  and  Prof.,  kindness 
at  San  Luis  Potosi,  386. 

Begbie,  Sir,  M.  B.,  courtesy  of,  282. 

Biblioteca  Nacional  de  Mex.,  ex- 
tensive description  of,  395-6. 

Bokkelen,  J.  J.  H.  Van,  dictation 
of,  290. 

Bookstores,  Eng.  and  cont.,  92-6. 

Boronda,  C,  dictation  of,  280. 

Bosquetti,  career  of,  126-8;  349. 

Brioso,  Minister,  correspondence 
with,  355. 

British  Columbia,  material  for  hist, 
of,  263-91. 

'British  Quarterly'  reviews  *  Native 
Races',  189. 

Brown,  J.,  London  agent  for 
'  Native  Races,'  183-6. 

Brown,  J.  H.,  material  furnished 
by,  294. 

Buckingham,  W.,  material  fur- 
nished by,  286-7. 

Buffalo  Hist.  Soc,  hon.  member 
of,  189. 

Burgos,  bookstores  of,  95. 


'  California,'  hist,  of,  its  impartiality 
and  cxhaustiveness,  xviii-xxi ; 
development  of,  4,  13  ;  condition 
of,  1856,6;  NordhotT's  remarks 
on,  8;  Grace  Greenwood's  re- 
marks on,  I1-12;  literature  in, 
II-12;  effect  of  climate,  1I-I2, 
19-20;  mining  in,  60-I  ;  arch- 
ives of,  250-8 ;  material  for  his- 
tory of,  322. 


INDEX. 


439 


'California  Inter  Pocula,'  mention 
of,  328 ;    reason  for  publication 

of,  363-4- 

*  California  Pastoral,'   mention  of, 

32S ;    reason  for  publication  of, 

363- 

Cannon,  Geo.  Q.,  mention  of,  409. 

Carey,  J.  M.,  prom,  man  of  Wyom- 
ing, mention  of,  410. 

Carrillo,  P.,  papers  and  reminis- 
cences of,  277. 

•  Cartography  of  the  Pacific  Coast,' 

compilation  of,  314-5. 

Cazeneuve,F.  G.,  Mexican  journal- 
ist, mention  of,  394. 

Ceballos,  J,  Mexican  statesman, 
mention  of,  394. 

Central  America,  authorities  for 
hist,  of,  321 ;  material  for  hist, 
of,  354-8. 

Cerruti,  E.,  character  and  abilities, 
192-6;  at  library  work,  192-6; 
negotiations  with  Vallejo,  202- 
14;  '  Ramblings  '  MS., '216-20; 
intercourse  with  Alvarado, 
226-8;  with  Vallejo,  230-1, 
233-4 ;  death,  240. 

Chad  wick,  S.  F.,  meeting  with,  292. 

Charles,  W.,  material  furnished  bv, 
2S6. 

Chavero,  Alfredo,his  literary  stand- 
ing, 390. 

Chaves,  of  Santa  Fe,  kindness  of, 
411. 

Cholula,  descript.  of,  399-402. 

'  Chronicles  of  the  Builders  of  the 
Commonwealth,'  necessary  com- 
plement to  the  historical  series, 
1-2,  363,  372  ;  value  of  to  future 
generations,  4-5  ;  magazine  of 
knowledge,  124;  importance  of 
living  witnesses,  151  ;  justice  to 
founders  of  empire,  32S. 

Church,  J.  A.,  reviews  '  Native 
Races,'  181. 

Coleman,  W.  T. ,  material  furnished 
by,  369. 

Colorado,  hist,  of,  xviii ;  cond.  of, 
409 ;  data  for  her  hist.,  409-10. 

Colley,  F.  A.,  mention  of,  434. 

Cook,  Capt.,  in  Alaska,  303,  305. 


Compton,  P.  N.,  dictation  of,  285. 
Comapala,    Father,  meeting  with, 

267. 
Corlett,  W.  W.,  mention  of,  410. 
Coronel,  I.,  papers  of,  277. 
Crescent  City,  early  times  there, 

68-71. 
Cuadra,  President,  correspondence 

with,  355-6. 
Cushing,  C,  sale  of  his  library,  104. 
Cunniffe,  of  Las  Cruces,  kindness 

of,  411. 


D 


Damon,  S.   E.,   material  supplied 

by,  360. 
Dana,  C,  courtesy  of,  280. 
Dawkins,  W.  B.,  correspondence 

with,  187. 
Deady,  M.  P.,  dictation  of,  295-6. 
Deans,  J.,  dictation  of,  285. 
Defouri,  of  Santa  Fe,  kindness  of, 

410. 
Dempster,  C.  J.,  material  furnished 

by,  369-70- 

Derby,  G.  H.,  mention  of,  44,  45 ; 
character,  49,  51 ;  business  ven- 
tures, 54;  death  of,  65. 

Derby,  J.  C,  mention  of,  55,  177. 

Derby,  Mrs.,  marriage  of,  41 ; 
death  of  husband,  65 ;  business 
relations  with,  74-5. 

Deschamps,  remarks  on  the  An- 
drade  collection,  100. 

Diaz,  Porfirio,  presid.  of  Mex.,  re- 
marks on,  394-5. 

Dominguez,  D.,  material  furnished 
by,  279-80. 

Dorland,  Thomas  A.  C,  mention 
of,  434. 

Douglas,  J.  M.,  material  furnished 
by,  286. 

Douglas,  Lady,  mention  of,  2S2, 
2S6,  2S9. 

Douglas,  Sir  J.,  mention  of,  2S5-6. 

Downey,  J.  G.,  kindness  of,  277. 

Downey,  S.  \V.,  mention  of,  410. 

Downs,  Francis,  service  of,  411. 

Doyle,  J.  T.,  material  furnished  by, 
361. 


440 


INDEX. 


Draper,J.  W.,  interview  with,  176; 

correspondence  with,  318-19. 
Dry  Creek,  mining  on,  1852,  61-3. 


E 


'  Edinburgh    Review,'   article    on 

'Native  Races,'  189. 
Egan,  Judge,  kindness  of,  279. 
Eldridge,  H.  S.,  mention  of,  409. 
EllicoLt,  Capt.,  dictation  of,  291. 
Ellison,  Sam.,  keeper  of  archives  at 

Santa  F^,  410. 
Elwyn,  T.,  material  furnished  by, 

285. 
Elliott,  A.  C. ,  meeting  with,  2S2-4 ; 

material  furnished  by,  285. 
•  Essays  and  Miscellany,'  mention 

of,  328. 
Estudillo,  J.  M.,  dictation  of,  278. 
Etholen,  Gov.,  courtesy  of,  353. 
Evans,  Elwood,  materials  supplied 

by,  292 ;  manuscript  furnished  by, 

,350-1- 
Ezquer,  I.,  dictation  of,  2S0. 


Farwcll,  S.,  material  furnished  by, 
286. 

Fernandez,  R.,  gov.  of  Mex.,  men- 
tion of,  393. 

Finlayson,  R.,  reminiscences  of, 
285  ;  manuscript  of,  289. 

Fiske,  of  Santa  Fe,  kindness  of,4ii. 

Filzsinions,  Father,  information 
furnished  by,  356. 

Ford,  manuscript  of,  361. 

Foster,  J.,  dictation  of,  278, 

Fuentes  y  Muniz,  J.,  Mcx'n  min. 
of  the  treasury,  mention  of,  394. 


•Galaxy'  reviews  '  Native  Races,' 

iSi. 
Garay,  F.  dc,  Mcx'n  engineer  of 

ability,  393. 


Garcia  Torres,  V.,  character,  and 
kind  assistance,  390. 

Garcia,  I.,  dictation  of,  280. 

'Globus, 'articles on'  Native  Races,' 
187. 

Gonzalez,  President,  correspond- 
ence with,  354-5. 

Gonzalez,  R.,  dictation  of,  279. 

Gonzalez,  Father,  visit  to,  269-70. 

Good,  Rev.,  manuscript  of,  287. 

Grant,  Heber  J.,  mention  of,  409. 

Greenwood,  Grace,  remarks  on 
Cab,  11-12. 

Greenbaum,  kindness  of,  303. 

Grover,  Senator,  dictation  of,  295. 

Guadalupe,  Virgin  of,  information 
on,  392-3- 

Guerra,  De  la,  papers  of,  279. 


H 


Hale,  E.  E.,  correspondence  with, 

175-6. 
Hancock,  S.,  manuscript  of,  290. 
Hanford,  Mrs.  A.  J.,  manuscript  of, 

291. 
Hartnell,  W.,    papers   of,   232-3; 

biog,  232-3. 
Harvey,  Mrs.  mention  of,  292. 
Hawes,  Father,  kindness  of,  27^^. 
Hawthorne,   J.    C.,     mention    of, 

293- 

Hayes,  Benj.,  collection  of,  259-61 ; 
arrangement  with,  273-4;  mate- 
rial supplied  by,  279. 

Hayford,  J.  H.,  mention  of,  410. 

Hayward,  C.  B.,  kindness  of,  411. 

Helmcken,  Dr.,  material  supjjlicd 
by,  285. 

Hernandez  y  Ddvalos,  J.  E.,  Mex. 
writer,  biograph.  sketch,  391-2. 

Hills,  George,  material  furnished 
by,  286. 

History  Building,  construction  of, 
427;  occupation,  433-4. 

History  Company,  The,  organiza- 
tion and  oljjcct,  426-33  ;  occupi'CS 
the  History  Building,  433-4. 

'  History  of  the  Pacific  States,' 
method    of    preparation,    xviii- 


INDEX. 


441 


xxxi;  primary  object,  2  ;  origin- 
ality of  plan,  3-4;  field  for,  im- 
portance of,  5-6;  appreciation  of 
in  Cal.,  9-1 1;  books  and  mate- 
rial collected  for,  8-107,  177-8, 
182, 231-3,  259-62, 280,  299-307, 
317,  322,349-6^.  368-70;  prep- 
aration of  material,  136-45 ; 
scope  of  work,  147,153;  intro- 
duction to,  153,  156;  manuscripts 
procured  for,  207-14,  220,  226-8, 
230-3.  235-6,  263-5, 266,275-81, 
300  ;  selection  of  type,  313;  mag- 
nitude of  the  task,  319-21 ;  plan 
of  work,  321-3,  326-8;  printing 
and  publication  of,  326—8;  further 
search  for  material,  403-1 1 ;  pe- 
cuniary condition  after  fire  of 
April,  1886,  415-16;  pub.  and 
sale,  how  conducted,  426-30. 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  corre- 
spondence with,  175,  319. 

Howells,  W.  H.,  correspondence 
with,  179-80. 

Hoyt,  John  W.,  mention  of,  410. 

Hudson's  Bay  Company, headquar- 
ters of,  297. 


Icazbalceta,  Joaq.  Garcia,  Mex'n 
antiquary  and  bibliographer,  394. 

Iglesias,  Jose  M.,  Mex'n  states- 
man, 393. 

'  Independent '  reviews  *  Native 
Races,'  189-90. 

Indico,  J.,  keeper  of  Mex'n  ar- 
chives, mention  of,  394,  398. 

Innokentie,  Bishop,  courtesyof,353. 

Inquisition,  records  ofinMex., 398. 


Jackson,  E.,  mention  of,  186. 
Janssens,  A.,  dictation  of,  279. 
Jennings,  W.,  mention  of,  409. 
Jesuits,  on  extinction  of,  in  Mex., 

398. 
Journals  and  journalists  in  Mex. 

under  gov.  pay,  390. 


K 


Kasherarof,    Father,     information 

furnished  by,  301. 
Kenny,  G.  L.,  character,  etc.,  of, 

53-4;  goes  to  Cal.,  1852,  56-7; 

mention  of,  62,65  5  partnerships, 

66-7,  77. 
King,  Clarence,  character  of,  178  ; 

meeting  with  Bancroft,  178-9; 

reviews' Native  Races,'  179-80; 

correspondence  with,  180-9. 
Klinkofstrom,    Mr.,    mention    of, 

3S2-. 

'  Kolnische  Zeitung  '  reviews  '  Na- 
tive Races,'  186. 
Kraszewski,  M.,  dictation  of,  278. 


Lamy,  Archbishop  of  N.  M.,  kind- 
ness of,  411. 

Lane,  Gen.  Jo.,  dictations  of,  293. 

*  La  Republique  Fran^aise '  re- 
views '  Native  Races,'  188. 

Latham,  Dr., correspondence  with, 
185. 

Lawson,  J.  S.,  manuscript  of,  290. 

Lecky,  W.  E.  H.,  correspondence 
with,  185. 

'  Le  Temps  '  reviews  '  Native 
Races,'   188. 

Levashef,  Capt.,  in  Alaska,  303. 

Libraries,  in  Nuevo  Leon  and  Zac- 
atecas,  385 ;  San  Luis  Potosi, 
386-7;  Riva  Palacios  in  Mex., 
391  ;  Biblioteca  Nacional,  and 
Archivo  General  y  Publico  de 
la  Nacion,  in  Mex.,  395-8;  Ba- 
salio  Perez,  Agreda,  San  Ilde- 
fonso,  398  ;  Toluca,  Puebla,  399. 

Library,  The  Bancroft,  formation 
of,  x-xi ;  how  it  was  utilized, 
xi-xxiii ;  removal  to  a  place  of 
safety,  xxiii ;  origin  of,  88  ;  col- 
lecting books  and  material 
for,  89-107,  125-6;  note-taking, 
93-4;  number  of  vols,  in  1869, 
106;  description  of,  108-12; 
classification    and    arrangement 


44 : 


INDEX. 


of  vols.,  III-I2;  system  of  cata- 
loguing, 112-13;  contents  of, 
1 14-19;  remarkable  features  of, 
120-23;  work  at,  308-24;  sys- 
tem of  work,  308-24 ;  rapid 
growth  of,  308  ;  system  of  note- 
taking,  309-13 ;  incompetent  in- 
dexers,  314;  fireof  1873,315-6  ; 
removal  of,  324;  fortunate  move, 
419,  422-3. 

*  Literary  Industries,'  origin  of, 
vii.  ;  accomplishment,  viii-ix ; 
author's  qualifications,  ix ;  his 
literary  aspirations  and  meth- 
ods, x-xxxi ;  publication  of,  4. 

Literature,  evolution  of,  in  Cal., 
8-20;  effect  of  climate,  I1-14- 
19-20;  of  surroundings,  14-19; 
of  wealth,  20-4. 

Little,  Feramorz,  mention  of,  409. 

'  Live  Stock  Journal ',  mention  of, 
410. 

Lombardo,   Alberto,    mention   of, 

393- 
London,  book-collecting  in,  92. 
Longmans  &  Co.,   publishers   for 

'  Native  Races, '  183. 
Loreiizana,  A.,  dictation  of,  279. 
Lovejoy,  A.  L.,  dictation  of,  295. 
Lowell,    J.     R.,    interview    with, 

1 71-2. 
Lubbock,  Sir  John,  *  Native  Races' 

dedication,  184. 
Lugo,  J.,  papers  and  reminiscences 

of,  277. 
Lutke,  Admiral,  courtesy  of,  353. 


M 

Madrid,  bookstores  of,  95. 

Maisonneuve  et'Cie.  publish  'Na- 
tive Races,'  188. 

Makushino,  old  chief,  303-4. 

Mancro,  Vic.  L.,  Mexican  architect 
and  engineer,  mention  of,  393-4. 

Manuscripts,  M.  G.  Vallcjo's,  207- 
14;  Fernandez's, 220;  Alvarado's, 
226-8,  230 ;  Thompson's,  231  ; 
Castro's,  232  ;  Hartncll's,  232-3  ; 
J.  dc  J.  Vallejo's,  235-6;    Lar- 


kin's,  236;  Sutter's,  248;  Ban- 
dini's,  263-5  >  Warner's,  266, 2  77; 
Sepulveda's,  266;  Widney's,  266 ; 
Valdes',  267,  279 ;  Arnaz's,  267, 
279;  Hayes',  259-61,  273-4,  279 ; 
Coronel's,  277;  Requena's,  277; 
Lugo's,  J. ,277;  Perez's, 277; Car- 
rillo's,  277;  Wilson's,  277;  Ve- 
ga's, 277 ;  Foster's,  278 ;  Vejar's, 
278;  White's,  278;  Romero's, 
27S;  Avila's,  278;  Kraszevvski's, 
278;  Osuna's,  278;  Estudillo's, 
278;  Ord's,  279;  Guerra's,  279; 
Janssens',  279;  Lorenzana's,279; 
Gonzalez's,  279;  Pico's,  277,279- 
80;  Nidever's,  280;  Garcia's,  280; 
Boronda's,  280;  Ezquer's,  280; 
Murray's,  2S0 ;  Sproat's,  285  ; 
Pemberton's,  2S5 ;  Helmcken's, 
2S5  ;  Elwyn's,  285;  Vowel's,  285; 
Elliott's,  285  ;  Compton's,  285  ; 
Muir's,285;  Allen's, 285;  Dean's, 
285  ;  Anderson's,  285,  289;  Tol- 
mie's,  285,  288;  Charles',  286; 
Hill's,  286;  Good's,  287;  Tod's, 
287;  Swan's,  290;  Bokkelen's, 
290 ;  Hancock's,  290 ;  Lawson's, 
290;  Hanford's,  291 ;  Parker's, 
291 ;  Ellicott's,  291 ;  Evans', 292; 
Lane's,  293 ;  Grover's,  295  ;  Pal- 
mer's, 295 ;  Nesmitli's,  295 ; 
Moss',  295 ;  Lovejoy's,  295 ; 
Fouts',  295 ;  Strong's,  295-6 ; 
Deady's,  295-6;  McKay's,  300; 
Evans',  250-1  ;  Powers',  352  ; 
Oslo's,  360-1  ;  Ford's,  361  ;  Wit- 
ley's,  361;  Dempster's,  369; 
Coleman's,  369;  President  Diaz's 
dictation,  394 ;  Vigil's  description 
of  Mexican  National  library,  395 ; 
copies  from  Mexico's  National  li- 
brary, 396 ;  Stone  on  Colorado, 
410 ;  copies  of  N.  Mcx.  archives, 
410. 

Massachusetts  Hist.  Soc,  hon. 
member   of,    1S9. 

Maximilian,  Emperor,  library  of, 
99. 

Mclntyrc,  material  furnished  by, 
301,  304;  inummy  presented  by, 
301. 


INDEX. 


443 


McKay,  material  furnished  by,  300. 

McKinlay,  A.,  reminiscences  of, 
285  ;  manuscript  of,  288. 

McKinney,  clerk,  courtesy  of,  276. 

Mercer,  A.  S.,  journalist  ofWyo. 
mention  of,  410. 

Mexico,  libraries  of,  97-101 ;  au- 
thorities in  hist,  of,  321 ;  mate- 
rial for  hist,  of,  357-8;  condition 
of  the  people,  385-6 ;  appear,  of 
the  country,  387-9;  Biblioteca 
Nacional,  and  Archivo  Gen.  y 
Pub.  de  la  Nacion,  full  descrip- 
tion of,  395-6;  municipal  ar- 
chives, 398. 

Minto,  Mrs.,  information  furnished 
by,  294-5. 

Mitropolski,  Father,  material  fur- 
nished by,  300. 

Montana,  hist,  of,  xviii. 

Montard,  Father,  material  fur- 
nished by,  303. 

Monterey,  archives  and  libraries, 

385- 
Mora,  Bishop,  material  furnished 

by,  277. 
Moreno,    Secretary,    mention    of, 

278;    material  furnished  by  his 

widow,  278. 
Morgan,  E.  S.  N.,  sec.  of  state  of 

Wyo.,  410. 
Mormon,     material     for     history, 

407-9. 
Morrison,  Geo.    Howard,  biogra- 
phy of,  432-3- 
Moss,  S.  W.,  dictation  of,  295. 
Muir,  M.,  dictation  of,  285. 
Murray,  W.,  diary  of,  280. 
Mut,  Father,  courtesy  of,  279. 


64 ;  elaboration  of,  63-4 ;  execu- 
tion of  plan,  164-6;  publication 
of,  168-71,  177;  reviews  and 
opinion  of,  172-6;  180-1,  185- 
90;  dedication  of,  184;  cuts,  313; 
type,  313  ;  origin  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, 313-14;  completion  of, 
317-20. 

Nemos,  W.,  at  library,  309-13. 

Nesmith,  J.  W.,  manuscript  of,  295. 

Nevada,  hist,  of,  xviii. 

New  Mexico,  material  for  hist,  of, 
358,410-11. 

Newspapers,  collection  of,  317. 

'  New  York  Tribune '  reviews 
•  Native  Races,'  189. 

Nickerson,  H,  G.,  mention  of,  410. 

Nidever,  pioneer,  dictation  of,  280. 

Nordhoff,  C,  remarks  on  Gal.,  8  ; 
interview  with,  176-7. 

'  North  American  Reviev/ '  on 
'Native  Races,'  175. 

Nutchuks,  legend  of,  301-2. 


O 


Oak,  H.  L.,  editor  '  Occident,'  125  ; 

librarian,  12S,  131,133,  138,314- 
Olaquibel,  impresiones  celebres  y 

libros  raros,  399. 
01  vera,  C.,  collection  of,  280. 
Oregon,  hist,  of, xviii;  material  for 

hist,  of,  292-9  ;  350-1. 
Ord,  Mrs.,  dictation  of,  279. 
Osio,  manuscript  of,  260- 1. 
Osuna,  J.,  dictation  of,  278. 


N 


Naranjo,  Gen.,  Mexican  statesman, 
mention  of,  393. 

'  Nation  '  reviews  '  Native  Races,' 
181. 

'  Native  Races  of  the  Pacific  States,' 
preparation  of,  xvi-xvii;  opin- 
ions of  competent  critics,  xvii ; 
truthfulness,  xxi ;  plan  of,  158- 


Pacheco,  Carlos,  sterling  worth  and 
milit.  services,  393. 

'  Pacific  Coast  Almanac,'  publica- 
tion of,  X. 

Pacific  States,  hist,  of,  how  pre- 
pared, xviii-xxxi. 

Palmer,  Joel,  dictation  of,  295. 

Park,  John  R.,  mention  of,  409. 

Parker,  Capt.,  dictation  of,  291. 

Parkman,  Francis,  reviews,  1 74-5. 


444 


INDEX. 


Parrish,  Missionary,   mention   of, 

294. 
Parsons,  Geo.   F.,  introduction  to 

the   *  Literary    Industries,'  vii- 

xxxi. 
Pavlof,  information  furnished  by, 

301- 

Paz,  Ireneo,  his  biograph.  notice 
of  H.  H.  Bancroft,  390. 

Pedro,  Emperor  Dom,  visits  to 
library,  358. 

Pemberton,  J.  D.,  material  sup- 
plied by,  285. 

Penrose,  C.  W.,  mention  of,  409. 

Peralta,  F.,  Cerruti's  meeting  with, 
216-17. 

Perez,  A.,  dictation  of,  277. 

Petroff,  I.,  visit   to  Alaska,  299- 

307- 

Phil.  Numismatic  Soc,  hon.  mem- 
ber of,  189. 

Phillips,  Wendell,  correspondence 
with,  172-3. 

Phillips,  of  Santa  Fe,  kindness  of, 
411. 

Pico,  A.,  documents  of,  277. 

Pico,  C,  material  furnished  by, 
279-80. 

Pico,  P.,  books  preserved  in  fam- 
ily, 266-7;  dictation  of,  277. 

Pico,  J.  de  J.,  courtesy  of,  280. 

Pinart,  A.  L.,  biog.,  352-3;  mate- 
rial furnished  by,  353. 

Pinto,  R.,  collection  of,  280. 

Polygamy,  how  held  l)y  Mormon 
women,  409. 

'  Popular  Tribunals,'  mention  of, 
328  ;  preparation  of,  365-8  ;  ma- 
terial for,  36S-70. 

Porter,  President,  interview  with, 
178. 

Powers,  S.,  material  furnished  by, 

352. 
Preston,  W.  B.,  mention  of,  409. 
Prieto,     Guillermo,     mention    of, 

393- 

Prince,  Gov.  L.  Bradford,  kindness 
of,  411. 

Pryor,  P.,  kindness  of,  279. 

Puebla,  description  of,  and  libra- 
ries, 399-401. 


R 


Railroad,  Pacific,  effect  of  it  on 
business,  83-4. 

Ramirez,  J.  F,,  sale  of  his  library, 
104-6. 

Requena,  M.,  papers  of,  277, 

Revillagigedo,Conde  de,  viceroy  of 
Mex.,  his  efforts  to  preserve  ar- 
chives, and  contributions  to  gen. 
hist,  of  North  America,  397. 

'  Revue  Britannique  '  on  '  Native 
Races,'  188. 

'  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes '  on 
'Native  Races,'   188. 

'  Revue  Litteraire  et  Politique  '  on 
'  Native  Races,'  188, 

Richards,  F.   D.,  mention  of,  40S. 

Richards,  Gov.,  interview  with,  282. 

Rico,  F.,  mention  of,  275. 

Ritch,  W.  G.,  services  of,  411. 

Riva  Palacio,  V.,  his  library  and 
literary  labors,  391. 

Rivas,  Secretary,  material  furnished 
by,  355-6. 

Robson,  J.,  material  furnished  by, 
286-7. 

'  Rocky  Mountain  News,'  410. 

Romero,  J.  M.,  dictation  of,  278. 

Romero  Rubio,  M.,  character,  abil- 
ity, and  polit.  standing,  394. 

Romo,  Friar  J.  M.,  interview  with, 
270-2. 

Roussell,  Father,  courtesy  of,  280. 

Roscoe,  F.  J.,  material  furnished 
by,  287. 

Rubio,  Justino,  mention  of,  396. 


Salas,  Jose  Mariano,  39S. 
Sanclicz,  Jesus,  mention  of,  394. 
San  Fernando  college,  archives  at, 

250,  268. 
San  Francisco,  description  of,  1852, 

57-9- 

San  Luis  Potosi,  archives  and  li- 
l)rary,  386-7. 

'  Saturday  Review,'  article  on '  Na- 
tive Races,'  189. 


INDEX. 


445 


Savage,  T.,  material  collected  by, 

275-81. 
Schiefner,  A.,  mention  of,  352. 
*  Scribner's      Magazine'     reviews 

*  Native  Races,'  189. 
Seghers,  Bishop,  material  furnished 

by.  303-  .     ^ 

Selva,  C,  material  furnished  by, 

355- 

Sepiilveda,  Y.,  kindness  of,  266, 
277-9. 

Serra,  Father  J.,  mention  of,  260-1 ; 
265. 

Shashnikof,  Father,  material  fur- 
nished by,  303-4. 

Siliceo,  Luis,  Mex.  writer,  394. 

Sladen,  Colonel,  material  furnished 
by,  292. 

Slaughter,  John,  mention  of,  412. 

Smith,  Jos.  F.,  mention  of,  409. 

Snow,  Erastus,  mention  of,  409. 

Sociedad  de  Geografia  y  Estatis- 
tica,  introduction  to  its  mem- 
bers, 390. 

Sosa,  F.,  litterateur  and  journalist, 

391. 

Spencer,  Herbert,  correspondence 

with,  185,  1S9. 
'  Spectator,'     article     on    '  Native 

Races,'  1S9. 
Spofford,    hbrarian     of  Congress, 

interview  with,  181-2. 
Sproat,  G.    M.,  material  supplied 

by,  285. 
Squier,   E.  G.,  library  of,   103-4; 

purcliase  of  his  collection,  354, 

358-60. 
Stafeifk,  information  furnished  by, 

301. 
Stanton,  E.  M.,  mention  of,  251. 
Stanton,  F.  J.,  mention  of,  410. 
Stone,  Judge,  historical  manuscript 

on  Colorado,  410. 
Stone,  N.  J., manager  of  publishing 

department,   325 ;     mention   of, 

414;  hisconnection  with  theHist. 

of  the  Pacific  States,  428 ;  biog. 

sketch,  430-32. 
Strong,  W.,  dictation  of,  295-6. 
Stevens,  PI.,  books  procured  from, 

103-6. 


Stargis,  T.,  mention  of,  410. 

Sutter,  J.  A., visit  to,  245-S;  manu- 
script furnished  by,  248. 

Swan,  J.  G.,  collection  and  manu- 
scripts of,  290 ;  correspondence 
with,  351-2. 


Thatcher,  Moses,  mention  of,  409. 

Thayer,  of  Santa  Fe,  kindness  of, 
411. 

'  Times,'  London,  reviews  '  Nat- 
ive Races,'  186. 

Tod,  J.,  manuscript  of,  287. 

Tolmie,  W.  F.,  reminiscences  of, 
285-8. 

Toro,  Juan,  mention  of,  393. 

Turner,  L.,  information  furnished 

by,  303- 
Tylor,  E.  B.,  correspondence  with, 
187-8. 

U 

Ubach,  Father,  collection  of,  262. 
Utah,  hist,  of,  407-11. 


Valdes,  R.,  mention  of,  267. 

Valdez,  of  N.  Mex.,  kindness  o*", 
411. 

Vallarta,  F.  L.,  mention  of,  393. 

Valle,  I.  del.,  dictation  of,  279. 

Vallejo,  J.  de  J.,  dictation  of,  235-6. 

Vallejo,  M.  de  G.,  his  biog.,  196- 
201;  library  of,  196-7;  charac- 
ter, 199-201  ;  negotiations  with, 
202-14 ;  '  Historia  de  Califor- 
nia,' MS.,  214,  238-9  ;  tour  of 
220-1,230-40;  negotiations  with 
Alvarado,  223-6. 

Vallejo,  S.,  mention  of,  205-6, 209. 

Van  Fatten,  of  Las  Cruces,  kind- 
ness of,  411. 

Vega,  v.,  dictation  of,  277. 

Vega,  Gen.  P.,  his  collection  of 
documents,  356-7. 

Vejar,  P.,  dictation  of,  278. 


446 


INDEX. 


Veniaminof,  I.,  courtesy  of,  353. 

Vigil,  J.  M.,  director  of  the  Mex'n 
National  Library,  mention  of, 
393 ;  his  descript.  of  the  library, 

395- 

Vila,  Father  J.,  Bancroft  s  visit  to, 
268-9. 

Villarasa,  Father,  material  fur- 
nished by,  356. 

Vowel,  A.  W.,  material  furnished 
by,  285. 

W 

Waldo,  Daniel,  mention  of,  294. 
Walden,  J.,    catalogue    prepared, 

93- 

Warner,  J.  J.,  reminiscences,  266; 

'  Recollections  '  manuscript,  277. 
'  Westminster  Review '  on  '  Native 

Races,'  189. 
White,  E.,  interviews  with,  292. 
Whitehead,    J.    R.,    mention    of, 

410. 


Whitaker,  J.,  purchasing  agent,  93 ; 
books  selected  by,  101-2;  corre- 
spondence with,  105. 

Whittier,   J.    G.,   interview   with, 

173-4- 

White,  M.,  dictation  of,  278. 

Willey,  S.  H.,  courtesy  of,  361  ; 
material  furnished  by,  361. 

Wilson,  B.  D.,  dictation  of,  277. 

Woodruff,  W.,  interview  with,  408. 

Wyoming,  data  for  hist,  of,  how  ob- 
tained, 410. 


Young,  Brigham,  mention  of,  409. 


Zacatecas,  Ortega's  priv.  libr.,  385. 
Zaldo,  R.  de,  mention  of,  215-16. 
Zakarof,  information  furnished  by, 
301. 


I 


SCOTT'S  JOURNAL. 

The  Journal  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  1825-1832.  From  the  Ori^•i- 
nal  Manuscript  of  Abbotsford.  With  Two  Portraits  and  En- 
graved Title-padres.  Two  Volumes.  8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut  Edges 
and  Gilt  Tops,  87  50.    Popular  Edition,  1  Vol.,  $2  50. 

The  "Journal"  presents  a  varied  and  vivid  picture  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
existence  during  tlie  years  in  which  he  itept  it.  .  .  ,  Those  who  read  the 
"Journal"  will  clearly  understand  what  he  was  as  a  man,  and  such  a  man 
as  he  is  the  more  beloved  the  more  intimately  he  is  known.  He  reveals 
himself  with  perfect  candor  and  completeness  in  his  "Journal,"  and  he 
appears  even  greater  in  its  pages  than  in  other  works  from  his  pen  which 
are  prized  as  English  classics. — London  Times. 

Full  of  interesting  glimpses  into  the  great  author's  mind,  and  reveals  in 
a  striking  manner  the  inextinguishable  buoyancy  with  which  he  encoun- 
tered misfortune,  the  iron  perseverance  with  which  he  set  himself  to  clear 
away  the  mountain  of  debt  with  which  he  found  himself  burdened  when 
his  best  years  had  passed,  the  keen  sense  of  honor  and  duty  which  marked 
even  his  most  private  communings  with  himself,  and  the  gay  humor  which 
characterized  him  whenever  the  clouds  parted  for  a  moment  and  permit- 
ted the  sunshine  to  pass.  ...  It  is  indeed  a  valuable  contribution  to  our 
knowledge  of  Sir  Walter  Scott. — JV.  Y,  Tribune. 

The  manner  in  which  the  "Journal"  has  been  prepared  for  publication 
deserves  hearty  praise.  Mr.  Douglas  is  a  conscientious  and  competent 
editor,  and  he  has  supplied  all  the  notes  which  are  required  for  elucidating 
the  text  without  making  a  parade  of  superfluous  learning.  .  ,  .  This  final 
work  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  is  as  instructive  and  welcome  as  any  which  he 
penned. — Athenceum,  London. 

Certainly  all  who  read  these  volumes  will  rise  from  their  perusal  with  a 
deepened  admiration  for  one  of  the  noblest  ami  best  of  men. — Fall  Mall 
Gazette,  London. 

A  better  tempered,  less  morbid  diary  never  was  published.  .  .  .  No  ex- 
tracts can  do  justice  to  the  book  as  a  whole — to  the  manly,  cheerful,  ten- 
der spirit  of  the  man. — iV!  Y.  Herald. 

This  is  such  a  book  as  the  world  has  not  often  seen.  These  two  im- 
pressive volumes  contain  one  of  the  most  effective  pictures  of  a  really 
strong  man,  painted  as  only  that  man  himself  could  have  painted  it,  which 
the  English  language  contains.  .  .  .  This  book  is  one  of  the  greatest  gifts 
which  our  English  literature  has  ever  received. — Spectator,  London. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

The  above  work  sent  hy  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to  any  part  of  the  United  States, 
Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


LONDON  LETTERS. 

London  Letters,  and  Some  Others.  By  George  W.  Smalley, 
London  Correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  Two  vol- 
umes. Vol.  L  Personalities — Two  Midlothian  Campaigns.  Vol. 
IL  Notes  on  Social  Life — Notes  on  Parliament — Pageants — 
Miscellanies.     8vo,  Cloth,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops,  $6  00. 

Mr.  Smalley  has  a  keen  eye  for  the  salient  points  of  character  and  in- 
dividuality, a  vivid  way  of  presenting  events,  scenes,  and  memorable  occa- 
sions, and  a  wide  acquaintance  with  English  social  life,  its  ways,  and  its 
personalities. — London  Times. 

The  correspondence  touches  upon  multifarious  topics,  and  whatever  it 
touches  it  illuminates  and  adorns.  Nobody,  whose  mind  has  been  in- 
structed by  study  and  observation  and  whose  taste  has  been  formed  on 
sound  models,  can  read  these  letters  without  delight  in  their  vigor  and 
their  delicacy.  .  .  .  Mr.  Smalley's  style  belongs  to  him  and  to  no  one  else. 
It  has  no  mannerisms  to  suggest  and  assist  imitation.  It  is  equally  with- 
abruptness  and  without  prolixity.  It  takes  the  reader  captive,  but  leaves 
him  in  full  possession  of  all  his  faculties.  There  ia  no  meretricious  quali- 
ty in  it,  and  no  deceitfulness,  unless  it  be  the  simplicity  which  seems  so 
easy  and  is  so  hard. — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

Mr.  Smalley's  letters  to  the  IVibune  during  the  last  twenty  years,  which 
form  the  basis  of  his  present  work,  have  been  notable,  not  only  for  the 
wide  range  of  subjects  and  the  exact  information  they  contain,  but  for 
the  pure  and  vigorous  English  in  which  they  are  written.  The  volumes 
will  be  a  valuable  contribution  to  contemporaneous  biography  and  history. 
— A^.  Y.  Mail  and  Express. 

They  give  a  broad,  systematic,  and  intelligent  view  of  public  affairs  in 
England  and  to  some  extent  in  Europe,  as  seen  in  the  life  of  the  men 
principally  active  in  them.  .  .  .  They  are  wonderfully  interesting,  graphic, 
and  rich  in  the  neatest  possible  literary  work. — Independent,  N.  Y. 

Of  the  crisp  vigor,  the  clearness,  and  the  force  of  Mr.  Smalley's  literary 
style  there  is  no  need  to  write;  nor  is  it  necessary  to  dwell  upon  the  felic- 
ity with  which  he  seizes  upon  these  points  in  foreign  affairs  which  are 
likely  to  interest  his  readers  on  this  side  of  the  water.  What  most  en- 
forces itself  on  the  attention  in  this  work  is  the  vast  mass  of  matter  in 
the  Ietter.s  that  is  of  such  perennial  interest  and  importance  and  so  wor- 
thy of  perpetuation  in  the  more  permanent  form  that  is  here  accorded  it. 
The  volumes  arc  delightful  reading. — Saturday  Evening  Gazette,  Boston. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

The  above  ivork  Bent  by  mail,  pontage  prepaid,  to  any  part  of  the  United  States, 
Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


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